X-Men: Eye of the Tigress
by GirlInTheMask
Summary: For half her life, Savannah West has been content not to get attached to anyone, and not to have anyone get attached to her. But one fateful night, when she discovers something about her that she never knew existed, will she able to keep her reservations? Or could this be the start of a brighter future?
1. Her

_Disclaimer: I do not own X-Men. All belongs to Marvel._

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**X-Men: Eye of the Tigress**

Chapter 1 – Her

The black veil of night covers the city of New York with its ominous presence, fishing out with it not only the light of the moon and stars that adorn the sky, but also that of the streetlights, headlights, and those coming from the homes and businesses, the people inside not particularly keen on getting rest at this hour and the hours to come. Indeed, for at least half, if not more than half of the population of the city, if not the state, it seemed their work was never done. Twenty-four-seven, hour after hour, it seemed that their lives revolved around their jobs, for better, or for worse. And that rule in particular seemed no more true for anyone else than for two extraordinary groups of people, whose abilities and deeds were unlike any the world had ever seen, again, for better, or worse.

Unfortunately, the honest work of equally as honest citizens are not the only things that go on at this time of night. Like ravenous predators drawn to already suffering, or even dead, prey, the darkness over New York draws out the worst of its people, who give into their nightly demands to satisfy their sadistic desires. Those who pay close enough attention can hear the shots of gunmen, and the cries of terror. Fortunately, there is one who has paid attention, has heard the cries of the helpless and the spine-shivering shots. Though she may appear to be a bird of prey, she targets the villains of the night, weaving through the dark as easily as a stalking lion. A living shadow, in a world where little light is offered to obliterate them, the woman is known only to criminals and pedestrians alike, as _her_.

Tonight, as she made her way through the city she reluctantly called her home, she stopped as soon as she heard the distant sound of voices, the words too faint to hear, but the tone clearly menacing. Pressing her back against the brick wall of the building behind her, and keeping just out of the way of the revealing streetlight next to her, she peered ever so slightly around the corner, straining to hear the words. Ignoring the way her heart was pounding from an already tiring evening, she pressed back even harder, as if the effort alone would aid her.

Before long, she started hearing phrases like "load of cash" and "they'll never suspect." And just as she was forming a theory in her mind about the motivations of the people these voices belonged to, she believed she had one as soon as her narrowed eyes spotted what appeared to be a young man and woman smiling and laughing as they walked down the sidewalk together, unaware of the danger that was about to befall them.

But not if she could help it.

The couple continued to walk further down the path ahead of them, happy at the long and lovely evening they'd spent together. But any happiness and sense of safety they might have had immediately evaporated like mist in the early morning when they were suddenly surrounded by three other men once they emerged from their hiding place in an alleyway. They stood tall and intimidating over their latest victims, smiles of sadistic pleasure adorning their faces, and the presence of their sinister natures was so overwhelming it practically emanated from them.

"Well, well, well," the tallest one, obviously the leader, said, "Lookie what we have here."

The woman quickly got behind her boyfriend, who instantly went into defensive mode while the other two chuckled. "What's this all about?" he asked.

"Don't you know not to go walking into parts of town like this?" the leader said as he took one, then two steps toward the man, daring him to challenge him.

"Whoever you are, take our money, take whatever you want, we'll cooperate," the woman said fearfully.

"No we won't," the man retorted, ready to defend her. Looking at the leader with narrowed eyes, he said, "Just leave us alone."

The leader only chuckled in response before turning to the rest of his buddies and saying, "Let's do this job."

The eyes of the couple flew from one man to another, who were all closing in on them. But before any of them could even touch either of them, the sound of someone clearing their throat reached their ears before they all heard a low, feminine voice say in a no-nonsense tone, "They said leave 'em alone."

All eyes of each of the five people instantly turned to the source of the voice, and they all beheld a woman dressed only in black. She wore ankle-high boots, leggings, gloves, and a hooded jacket. But her most noticeable feature was the scarf she wore across the lower half of her face, preventing those who would come after her from figuring out who she was. People like the ones right in front of her.

"No way," one of the gang breathed, his mouth open and his eyes wide with alarm.

"You're not really, _her_, are you?" his partner asked in a skeptical voice.

The woman raised her hands to the air, drawing attention to herself, her brown eyes clearly teasing them as well as her tone of voice. "You need proof other than what's right in front of you?" she asked. Then, pointing her thumb in the direction behind her, she said in a much firmer yet somewhat polite tone, "Now, I suggest you all do as these decent people want and beat it before I beat you."

Now it was the leader's turn to voice his opinion, which was voiced in the chuckle he released before he said any words. Clearly not as intimidated by this woman as his cohorts were, he strode over to her, hoping to tower over her, and said in a condescending tone of voice that matched the look on his face, "Did you just threaten us?" He shook his head disapprovingly and added, "Oh that was a mistake."

"Oh I'm afraid that wasn't a threat, this is a threat," the woman retorted in a somewhat amused tone of voice, before her eyes narrowed at him and she changed it yet again, "If you don't leave these two alone, I'm gonna beat the living snot out of you."

She didn't take her eyes off of those in front of her, but she heard the sound of him quickly taking something out of his pocket. And judging by the next sound of flicking metal, she didn't need anyone else to tell her that the guy who dared to challenge her now carried a knife.

"Let's just see you try, baby," the leader said in a voice only the two of them could hear. And before another second could pass, he swung the knife at her, intent on making her pay. What he hadn't realized though, was that she was ready, as she often was when confronted with such bullies.

She jumped back in a back handspring, knocking the weapon out of his hand and into the air. As he reached his hand out in an attempt to grab it back, the woman clad in black took hold of his arm, turned around, and with a grunt of effort, flipped him over onto his back. As soon as he hit the concrete ground, he let out a surprised groan, signaling at the other two to attack.

One of them hurled himself on her from behind, wrapping his arms as hard as he could around her. But his face twisted in pain when the woman jabbed him in the ribs, once then twice, before she turned around and through a punch, nailing him right in the jaw. She then heard the third roar as he headed toward her. Knowing he'd try to grab her, she ducked down on all fours on the ground, making him tumble in a heap in front of her. He quickly got up and tried again, one of his hands in a fist, ready to strike. But she grabbed his wrist, spun around, and hit his face with her elbow. She then punched him in the stomach, and finally knocked him off his feet with a low kick.

She turned toward the first one, the leader, to see if he would try anything. And he did. He hurried to his feet and rushed toward her, his teeth gritted and his eyes full of fury. He tried to throw a punch at her, but she dodged it with her arm. He tried again, but she did the same thing. Knowing she had to take him down though, an idea flashed in her mind, and she quickly put it into action. She took hold of both his wrists, crossing one over the other, and then rammed her knee in his most vulnerable place.

"Ooff!" he howled in pain. But the woman wasn't done. As soon as he bent over, she grabbed him by his jacket, took a few steps back, and hurled him forward as hard as she could, sending him in a tumbling heap at the feet of his cohorts. Then, spotting something out of the corner of her eye, the woman saw the leader's knife on the ground. As fast as she could, she swiped it up into her hand. Then seeing that the leader was about to get up, she hurried over to him, and before he knew it, she was sitting on his chest, her knees on his arms so he wouldn't try anything, her left hand firmly holding his jacket, and her right hand holding the knife.

The leader only widened his eyes when she narrowed her eyes at him, and growled. As she'd hoped, it looked like he was seeing the error of his ways. It seemed his so-called "friends" already had, because one of them, upon seeing her so close to him again, said, "Hey man, let's just get outta here."

"Yeah," the other one agreed, "We don't wanna mess with her." The woman was glad they at least were seeing her viewpoint, but until their leader did, it wasn't likely they would leave. She kept her eyes on him, her hands gripping both his jacket and the handle of the knife hard.

"I'd do as these two say," she said in a low voice, "I was barely trying that time. And you wouldn't like it if I went all out."

They only stared at each other, waiting for the other to voice their decision, for what seemed like a long time, though they both knew it was only a few seconds. What they also both knew was that only one person could give in. But only one of them knew that that person wasn't going to be her. And before long, after nearly a minute passed, the man started leaning forward, making the woman grip both his jacket and the knife even harder.

"Fine," he said in a low voice much like hers, "you win this time. Just get off of me, now."

Happy to oblige, yet not letting her guard down, the woman took her knees of his arms, and stood up, keeping her hands on the jacket and knife while he stood as well. Only when she was sure he wasn't going to attack her again did she let go of his jacket and lower the weapon.

"Get out," she said through gritted teeth. Before she even finished speaking though, all three, including the leader, did as she said. She watched with unblinking, still narrowed, eyes, until they made it to the far corner of the street, and finally disappeared behind it. Only then did she toss the knife to the ground and turn to the couple she'd just saved. Both just looked at her with wide-eyed surprise.

"You guys alright?" she asked, her tone of voice now drastically changed from anger to one of concern.

The man let out a sigh of relief, and began panting as though he'd just run a marathon. "Yeah," he nodded, "We're good."

The woman had her arms on her boyfriend's shoulders, but she smiled a grateful smile at the woman in front of her. "Thank you very much."

"No problem," the woman in black nodded, "But if I were you two, I'd go strolling through safer parts of the city."

Both the people nodded. But then, before anyone could say anything else, all three heads turned to the far corner of a street further down from theirs. Not only did they hear the sirens of the police cruisers, even from where they were, but they also saw the rapidly blinking red, white, and blue lights, signaling their coming.

Only the eyes of the woman in the black hood widened in alarm. She knew very well what would happen if even one cop spotted her. While not exactly famous, she was known of not only by the civilians and criminals in these parts, but also law enforcement. And while not many attempted what she did, vigilantism was still against the law. So not only would her identity be revealed if she was caught, but she'd also face potential jail time. She had to get out of here. Fast.

But there was also the matter of the people in front of her. When they turned back toward her, she said in a firm voice, "You didn't see me."

As soon as the couple both nodded, the woman spun around, and took off, darting around the corner she'd come around earlier, and heading for the closest alleyway in sight. Having lived in this place for almost two years, and having had this persona for almost six months, she'd memorized the way the alleys bent and twisted, and used them to her advantage. Not only did they help her evade police, but they also provided her with excellent cover, along with her dark clothes and the night sky above. She wove in and out, keeping inside them as much as possible. Even when she stopped hearing the sirens in the distance, she didn't slow her pace. She continued to run for about fifteen to twenty minutes, until she caught sight of the fire escape behind her apartment building at the end of the street.

She ran for it, slightly slower this time, before she stopped in front of the opening between the building. She looked out slightly to make sure no one was there to see her. Once she was sure the coast was clear, she dove across, jumped, and grabbed hold of the ladder. Quickly, she climbed the ladder, and then the fire escape, with the precision and skill of an expert athlete, as if she was born to do it. At last, she came upon the window to her room on the third floor. She placed her hands on it, and pulled it open, relieved to find that it wasn't locked, just as she left it.

After climbing through it, she closed it again and locked it. And as soon as she knew for sure that she was alone and safe, she took her gloves, then her jacket off, revealing her blacker than night hair that fell to just above her shoulders. She then took off the contacts she wore, which disguised her eye color, revealing them to be blue rather than brown. And finally, she took off the scarf, breathing a sigh of relief as she did so, and wondering how in the world ninjas breathed in these things. As soon as it was off though, she looked in the mirror to her right, and knew for sure that she had transformed into her civilian identity, Savannah West.

She then turned to the jacket she tossed on her bed, and decided to toss it instead to the dirty clothes hamper. With that thought in mind, two more emerged. First, she realized that with the weather getting warmer, she might have to start thinking about getting more appropriate attire for her alter-ego. And second, after spending a somewhat tiring evening fighting crime, she decided it would be a good idea to hop into the shower.

Savannah slipped into the bathroom, and took off all her clothes. But before she went in, she went to the sink, and washed off all the make-up adorning her face, until she couldn't help but stare at the resulting reflection that met her eyes. With all of it finally off her face, she frowned as she saw what the make-up was meant to hide, something she was sure no one else had. They were markings, ones as far as she knew were unique to her, and ones that took the appearance of stripes, so much so that they almost made her look animalistic. Almost, like a tiger.

And they weren't just on her face. They covered almost the whole of her body, stretching across her chest, torso, arms, and legs. Although they were only a little bit darker than her tan skin, they were certainly conspicuous. Whenever she went out as a civilian, it wasn't unusual for more than a few people to turn their heads once they saw her, nor was it unusual for at least one person to ask her how she got them, the most common question being whether or not they were tattoos.

They weren't. Savannah had them all her life. She knew this because she had the pictures her father took when she was born. Pictures of a striped baby, and the surprised, even shocked, looks of the doctors and nurses. Maybe that was why she was named for the wide plains of Africa. Suddenly though, thoughts of her father and mother made a lump form in her throat, and the faintest of tears form in the back of her mind. In an attempt to escape them, she quickly stepped inside, closed the curtains, and turned on the hot water.

But even as the water warmed her, and she proceeded to wash her hair and her body, the thoughts of her parents would not leave her alone. Savannah couldn't believe it had been almost ten years since that day, the day her life changed forever. Before then, she lived a relatively okay life. Her mother was mostly Native American, with some Black ancestry. And her father was mostly White, with some Asian ancestry. Thus, she was a melting pot of races. And while most of the students, and even some of the teachers at her school were somewhat wary of her, not only because of her stripes, but also her abilities, it was the love of her parents, and her own love for animals, that kept her going.

But one June night, when she was ten years old, everything changed for the worst. Savannah and her parents were driving on a dirt road next to a particularly steep hill, and everything was going fine, until Savannah caught sight of a lone deer in front of them. "Dad, watch out!" she'd cried. She'd then leaped forward and took hold of the wheel, and before she knew it, they were all at the bottom of the hill, her mom and dad were unconscious, and the gas tank was threatening to catch fire.

All Savannah cared to remember for the remainder of that night, if she had to, were the tears that fell from her eyes, and the cries that erupted from her lips, as the paramedics held her back, while their partners tried hard to pull her parents from the car, and the firemen tried just as hard to douse the flames that had become alive and deadly. As for the rest, for now at least, she managed to have it purged from her memory. But she also knew for sure that the reason she'd grieved them so was because she loved them so much, and at the age of ten, she'd made a vow to never get attached to anyone ever again, lest she hurt even more than she did that night.

She didn't have a lot of challenge to it. For the next eight years, Savannah remained under the care of a couple who were in charge of an adopting agency. Certain no one would want her, they decided to take her in. But the husband was strict to the point of being cruel, while the wife only kissed up to his actions. Often Savannah had to do chores around the house while they worked, and if she didn't finish by the time they came home, or do it to the man's satisfaction, she would either be forced to sleep in the garage, or go without food for the evening, sometimes both. And if she dared argue with him, she could look forward to a few good licks from his belt. If there was one thing Savannah had to remember about that horrible man, it was what he always said to her. "Work first. Food later."

And of course, on top of all that, she had to go to school. Now with no one to hold her temper back, Savannah got into more than a few fights, and had been suspended more than once because of them. After a particularly bad confrontation in which she broke a boy's rib, her stepdad beat her and threatened to send her to juvenile hall, making Savannah promise she would stop. It was a wonder she made it through junior high school at all.

But at thirteen, she started learning how to let off her steam, and how to defend herself when necessary, through martial arts. Every chance she got she would watch and learn from the students at the local studio, and managed to keep it all a secret from everyone. It was also during this time that she realized just how different she was from everyone else. Not only did she have her stripes, but she found herself to be stronger, faster, and have more heightened senses than most of her peers. Even now, she could see well in the dark, hear through brick walls, and even had somewhat of a sixth sense, letting her know if something was wrong.

Her high school years were somewhat better, though her stepparents still remained a nightmare. At sixteen she managed to land a job doing housekeeping at the local animal hospital, still carrying her love of animals in her heart. Always, she found them to be less complicated than people, more predictable, and they didn't judge her based on what they saw. No matter how many hours she worked, and no matter how much stress she felt, she was earning her own money, and she was doing what she loved most. She even had ideas about attending college to become a veterinarian. But while her job paid her well, by the time she hit eighteen, she didn't have enough money to go.

She did though, have enough to start living on her own, and that was how she ended up here. It was a small apartment, and she had to pay rent, but it was decent enough, and best of all, she was finally away from those people she never wanted to see again as long as she lived. She continued to work for the hospital, and even started getting actual martial arts lessons. But at the same time she got her black belt six months before, she was also let go from her job. Why? Savannah didn't know, since her boss wouldn't say. Still, while she looked for another job, she also found time to be _her_. After seeing a homeless man get robbed from a distance, she believed she found a purpose for her martial arts lessons and unusual abilities. Somehow, despite her vow, and the fact that most people throughout her life seemed to fear her, something in her still couldn't see people like that homeless man be oppressed.

Just a week ago though, she finally found a job helping illegally kept exotic animals recuperate at a local rescue. Savannah wasn't intimidated by animals such as lions and tigers. Like any other animal, all she really had to know was how to treat them right, and how to get them to trust her. The pay was even better than her previous job, and if she raised enough, she could finally be ready to attend college and make something of herself. Show all those people who maligned her that she was better than they made her out to be.

All of this passed through Savannah's mind as she bathed, until she finally left the steaming shower and wrapped herself in a towel. After so many long years of facing trials, striving and struggling, it finally seemed as though her life was taking a turn for the better. Despite all of her previous, depressing thoughts, she managed a small, faint smile as she began to dry her hair, looking forward to the following day, when she would start work.

Suddenly though, she heard a strange noise above that which generated from her hairdryer. Immediately, she turned it off, held her towel firmly in place, and hurried to her window. Using one hand to open the blinds slightly, she looked out as discreetly as she could, and her eyes widened when she saw movement in the shrubs and bushes on the left. Her apartment building was located in front of a small forest, which served not only as a hiding place for stray animals, but also criminals. There was a cat who lived around here named Abbie, and Savannah often looked after her, but she was hardly big enough to create this sort of disturbance. Was she?

Savannah had no choice. She had to investigate, and she wasted no time preparing. After drying her hair as fast as she could, she quickly got back into her black clothes, including the scarf to hide her face. Even more quickly, she opened the window she passed through earlier, and climbed down the fire escape the same way she did before, landing on the ground in less than half a minute. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she rushed, as quietly as she could, to the bushes, and stopped as soon as she looked behind them.

Savannah was not a professional tracker by any means, but even she could tell that something, or someone, unusual had been here. All the way up the hill that led to the forest beyond were what seemed to be marks in the ground that could only be left by something sharp. Since this wasn't an exotic environment, an exotic animal was immediately ruled out. But Savannah couldn't think of any other kind of animal that could make these sort of marks, so that left only one other possibility. A human.

But what human had a weapon that could make three small, deep holes in the ground in a row? Three knives were likely, but how long did they have to be to create holes this deep? Savannah didn't know, but she had a feeling she would soon find out. Digging her gloved fingers into the ground, and ignoring the ominous fact that she was going into the unlit forest where she could be attacked from any direction, she began her ascent. As quietly as she could, she made her way up the hill until she finally reached the top, and her ears caught the exact same sound she'd heard before, but closer.

After taking a deep breath, and feeling some relief at knowing she hadn't imagined all this, Savannah began to creep through the trees ahead of her. Using the shadows of the trunks as cover, she moved between them like she did through the alleyways, as fast and as often as she could. Instead of the streetlights now, all the light she had to show her the path were that from the stars and moon above. And instead of the cars that often passed by, the only sounds she heard, other than her own footsteps against the dirt, were those of the hundreds of crickets going through their nightly symphony.

But as soon as she heard that now somewhat frightening sound again, she was back on the edge of her toes, and took shelter behind the closest tree. She was about to call out, "Hello?" but she quickly stopped herself before the word escaped her lips, and betrayed her location. In an environment like this, cover was everything. And with each second that passed with her not knowing what exactly was out there, Savannah slowly started feeling something she often didn't feel when she was out on missions like this. Fear. And that fact alone, seemed to shock her.

What shocked her even more though, was when she finally saw what appeared to see a shadow in the distance. She couldn't make out its exact shape, but she could see it was walking upright, therefore it was a human. And she absolutely did not believe in Bigfoot. Believing she at last found the source of the weird sound though, she also believed it was time to make her move. Holding her breath, she took a step out into the exposing moonlight, and then hurried across the next tree. But as she did, Savannah accidentally stepped into a small hole in the ground, causing her to lose her footing for a brief but fatal second. With even more speed, she ducked behind the tree trunk, biting her lip and hoping that she hadn't given herself away.

All of her hope immediately fled though when she heard a rough, deep, masculine voice call out, "I know you're out there." The voice alone sent a series of shivers up her already nervous spine, but knowing she couldn't flee at the slightest sign of trouble, reminding herself of all her previous victories, she quickly forced herself to remain firm, to not back down. If this person was a threat to someone, she would see to it that this threat was extinguished.

Slowly moving out from behind the tree, and thankful to find that there was a circular row of them without gaps to her right, Savannah moved into that direction. As she did, she saw the shadow move to his left, and then noted for the first time that there was a small open area in the center of this circle of trees. Already an idea began forming in her mind. If there was the slightest possibility that she could bait this guy out of his hiding place by coming out of her own, she was going to do it. And already she was starting to, until she saw that the guy on the other side was about to do the same. And it seemed that his hands, which she could now finally see, had turned into fists.

So, he was intending to fight her the moment she came out. Well, if it had to come to this, Savannah still wasn't going to cower. Throughout her career, she'd taken out criminals of all shapes and sizes, and this one would be no different. Never mind that she didn't have a weapon, her body covered that. And if he had a weapon, she'd right out snatch it from him. There was no turning back now, either she was going to face this fight, or she'd have it come to her.

After taking another deep breath, Savannah formed her own fists, and charged forward in an instant. And she wasn't the only one who did. Her eyes widened slightly when she saw that the shadow, which she now saw to be somewhat of a very fit man, was running toward her. But she didn't stop. Instead, she raised her fist, and as soon as he was within range, she threw it. What she wasn't exactly prepared for though, was that he was ready to do the exact same to her. And at the exact same time, both fists found their target, hitting both Savannah and the man and sending them both to the ground.

Savannah had been punched before, but this was a pretty hard one. It almost made her see stars. But she also knew that she had managed to hit the guy. When she opened her eyes though, they immediately widened when she saw that he was right above her, ready to strike her again. Noticing that he had his left hand on her wrist, she pulled it out from his grasp and rolled out of the way right when he tried to hit her. Deciding to make use of her legs, she rammed both her feet at him. And as soon as she saw that she hit him, she quickly got back upright again.

But so did he. And Savannah knew she had to have the upper hand. She threw a series of punches, trying as hard and as fast as she could to hit him, now knowing that he was a legitimate threat. But unlike most of the criminals she came across, this guy was clearly experienced. He blocked each of her punches, and soon began throwing his own at her. But Savannah still wasn't about to back down. She too blocked every one of his punches, and then tried to throw her own again. Still, she knew she had to take him down by other means. Fortunately, she spotted what seemed to be a branch on the ground out of the corner of her eye, and as soon as the guy in front of her caught her fist and was about to hit her, she grabbed the branch and hit him on the side of the head with it.

He staggered back slightly, but quickly recovered, showing his fury through his angry eyes, his gritted teeth, and the growl directed at her. What happened next, even Savannah couldn't see coming. Right out of his knuckles on both hands grew a set of what looked like three claws, which glinted like metal in the moonlight. But that wasn't what Savannah found frightening. They looked awfully sharp, and as her adrenaline kicked in again, she knew she couldn't yet wonder how and why he had those, only that she had to dodge them.

And she did. As soon as he roared and tried to cut her down to size with both of them, she instantly dove forward out of the way. She then turned over on her back, and saw that the guy was about to try again. Deciding to use her legs again, Savannah first used her right leg to kick his left hand, then her left leg to kick his right hand, and used both legs to kick him back in the chest. The moment he was staggering back, she sprung herself back on her feet and tried to push him back further by pressing her weight against him. But he was clearly no lightweight. For the longest minute in her life, all she and this guy did was press their weight on each other, trying to make the other give in, but neither would budge.

In another attempt to try to get ahead of him, Savannah tried to kick him in the shin. But he stepped his foot back, and then swiftly kicked her hard in her shin. As she let out a groan of pain, the guy took out his claws again, and tried once more to run her through, but she quickly ducked and let his claws sink into the tree in front of him. And then, seeing that she was behind him, and knowing that every criminal had a weakness, Savannah went with the first idea that came to her head, and charged toward him, jumped on his back, and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Immediately, he tried clawing at her to get her off him, but Savannah only ran backwards until the two of them fell back on the ground. The harder he tried to get her off him, the harder she held him, determined to keep her hold on him until he passed out. But then, probably out of as much determination as she had to stay one step ahead, the guy took his claws out again, turned to his right, and shoved them into the ground. Feeling, rather fearfully, that her arms would otherwise break, Savannah let go of him. And she gasped when the guy grabbed her by the jacket, put his knees on her arms, and had his claws raised in the air, ready to strike. She was now in the same position she put that leader criminal in earlier, and she braced herself for the worst.

But it never came. Instead, the guy took her face scarf, and pulled it down. And as soon as he saw her face, his own face changed expressions dramatically. No longer appearing to make her blood run, his eyes widened and his mouth came open with shock. And as they stayed where they were, it was only now, and somewhat against her better judgment, that Savannah got a good look at this guy. He wore all black, just like her, and he was very tan. He sported dark brown hair and sideburns, brown eyes that looked like they hadn't gotten much rest, and in terms of age, he had to be at least twice as old as her. He looked a lot like a backwoodsman who spent half his life among the wolves, making Savannah wonder all the more who he was and what he was doing here.

Then though, he let go of her jacket, lowered his most unusual weapons, quickly stood up, and walked back a few paces, the look of surprise still on his face. That, and the fact that all of their fighting had somehow come to this, finally gave Savannah the courage to get a few words out and voice her thoughts.

"What?" she asked in a frustrated tone.

Wolf-man panted a few more times before he finally replied, or rather murmured, "You're just a kid."

At that point, Savannah became even more frustrated. "Am not!" she retorted, "I'm twenty years old." Then, trying to take the focus off of her, she pointed to his weapons. "And where'd you get those, metal claw things?" she asked, "You could cut someone's head off with them."

"It's a long story," Wolf-man replied in his rough voice, "But what about you? Where'd you get those tattoos?"

Savannah was about to ask him what he meant, until she realized that when she left, she'd forgotten to cover up her markings. "These aren't tattoos," she replied, "And besides, what was that all about just now?"

Wolf-man shrugged his shoulders lightly before he said, "You attacked me."

As soon as he said so, Savannah then got even more frustrated to the point of being angry. "You attacked me first!" she exclaimed.

"We attacked each other at the same time," Wolf-man then claimed. Savannah opened her mouth to say otherwise, but as soon as she recalled the events of just a few moments ago, to her great disappointment, she had to agree with him.

"Whatever," she said, brushing the issue aside, "what I want to know is who you are, and what you're doing here. And I wanna know right now."

Wolf-man sighed a heavy sigh and hung his head for a brief moment, before he put his claws away and crossed his arms. "I'm on an investigation, so to speak," he explained.

"An investigation?" Savannah asked, not really wanting to buy it, "So, what are you the police?"

"Not exactly," Wolf-man shook his head.

"Then what does this have to do with me?" Savannah asked, "I didn't do anything!"

"I never said you did!" Wolf-man snapped back at her, making her raise her eyebrows at him. But seeing that he was probably getting angrier than was necessary, he sighed again, and then asked, "But why did you attack me?"

"I heard something behind my apartment building," Savannah explained as she got back up on her feet, "and I decided to go check it out."

"You got a pretty rough way of doin' that," Wolf-man said. That was when Savannah crossed her arms too, because she knew very well what he wanted her to say.

"Okay, fine," she sighed in aggravation, "I'm sorry alright?"

Wolf-man nodded at her, but then looked away from her, but not before Savannah saw a different expression on his face. Was that, regret?

"I'm sorry too," he apologized, "If I had known that you were…" He trailed off, so Savannah decided to answer for him.

"What, that I was a 'kid?'" she asked, using air-quotes for the last word, "I can take care of myself."

"I can see that," Wolf-man said. He then looked back up at her, and instead of seeing what she thought was that hint of regret, Savannah saw a hint of something unexpected. He didn't smile, but, from what she could see, she thought she saw the slightest bit of, admiration?

"You…you fight good," he then said. And then, even more unexpected than what she thought she saw, for some reason Savannah felt herself smile.

"Thanks," she nodded. She and Wolf-man continued to stare at each other, and it seemed neither was keeping track of the time that passed. All they knew was that something, other than the previous fight, was now passing between them. But then, almost abruptly, anything that was happening stopped when Wolf-man sniffed, and turned his head to sniff some more, like he was a police hound catching the scent of an adrenaline-fueled criminal.

"I've gotta leave," he said. He then turned away from her and began walking in the direction of the scent.

Now that he'd given voice to her thoughts, Savannah believed it a good idea for herself. "Me too," she said. She turned away from him, and began walking in the opposite direction. But she'd walked no more than five steps when she heard the guy behind her call after her, "What's your name?"

Once she heard him, she stopped. Normally, she would have went on, ignoring the person. But something about this guy's presence, and his voice, made her do the opposite. Somewhat reluctantly, knowing she was acting out of character, yet finding herself not caring, she turned back around and gave him her name. "Savannah."

As soon as she said so though, and since he made her tell him in a way, she thought it only fair that he do the same. "What about you?" she asked.

Again, like before, he turned slightly away from her. But from where she was, she couldn't read his face. "Wolverine," he then said. And before she could ask anymore questions, he turned back the way he was walking and went off like a loner through the woods beyond, leaving her to watch until he finally left her alone again.

Wolverine? Was that his real name or a nickname? It had to be the latter, because Savannah didn't know anyone who would name their kid after a wild, ravenous animal. But as the crickets continued chirping as though it was any other uneventful night, what Savannah found even more puzzling was not only what seemed to pass between them just short moments ago, but also a sense of recognition she started having. In a way that felt ominous, she got the feeling that she'd seen this guy somewhere before, that she'd heard his name before, yet she couldn't pin it down. And she hated recollections like that. At the very least, he'd been nice enough to let her go and apologize.

Suddenly though, she remembered that she'd made the decision to get back home, and she preferred to go back after having a pretty long night. As she turned around, and then began trying to trace the trail she took to get here, Savannah knew she didn't want anything else like what she'd just experienced to happen tonight, and she was even more sure that she didn't want anything in her mind that didn't belong there.

* * *

_Reviews would be appreciated._


	2. The Plot Thickens

**X-Men: Eye of the Tigress**

Chapter 2 – The Plot Thickens

As soon as Savannah reached her apartment, she tried as hard as she could to purge what had just happened between her and this Wolf-man from her memory. Of course, it wasn't very easy considering it only happened a few moments ago. In fact, considering that look he gave her, and the somewhat weighty few seconds of silence that passed between them which made her feel almost mesmerized, it made it all the harder. Above all, she knew she had seen him somewhere before. And yet, like an annoying fly buzzing in her ear, she couldn't place where. Then again, as she thought of it further, no one was telling her to try and figure it out. And she more than likely was never going to see him again.

No. It was best that she put him out of her mind, no matter how uneasy he made her, both in bad, and somewhat good ways. That was Savannah's resolution the moment she reached her room. And remembering that it was getting close to midnight, she also made the decision to go ahead and go to bed. She had seven hours of work ahead of her tomorrow, and she wasn't going to go in tired. Without hesitation, she exchanged her black clothes for a t-shirt and shorts, shut the lights off, and flopped onto her pillow with a small smile on her face, happy that the day was over and it looked like she was finally getting control of her life.

The next thing Savannah knew, she was feeling her eyes flutter open, though another part of her wanted to go right back to sleep. Still, being the sort of person who couldn't easily fall back asleep, she reluctantly sat up, yawned, stretched, and rubbed her eyes. She almost didn't know for sure if she was awake, until her eyes caught the time on her bedside table clock. It was seven-thirty, and that meant she had to be at work in half an hour. Immediately, her eyes flashed open as she tossed the blankets back and leaped out of bed to start getting ready. And all the while she was chiding herself for her flaws.

"I just had to forget to set the alarm," she grumbled to herself, "What a great way to start my first day at work." Even so, she rinsed her face, brushed her teeth, fixed her hair, and changed into her new scrubs, probably in her fastest time to date. As soon as she had her purse in her hands, she flew out the door – locking it behind her – before hurrying down the stairs and out the front door of the building, hoping she hadn't missed the bus.

Although Savannah had a driver's license, she didn't own a car, figuring it would be less expensive to take public transportation. Of course, that had its own problems. One being the uncomfortable stares she often received from the other passengers, and the other being the fact that she had to get on at the time it demanded. Like today. Fortunately, to her relief, she had run out the front door right when it looked like the bus was about to pull out. She rushed up the steps, saying through deep breaths to the driver, "Thank you…thank you."

"Take a seat," he said indifferently. Savannah turned her head, and saw that the bus was already half full of passengers, half of which widened their eyes when they saw her. Ignoring them, she spotted an empty seat halfway down the aisle, and quickly took it. And right at that moment, the bus rolled away, and she finally let out a long held-in sigh. For a moment, she allowed her eyes to wander, until they finally settled on a boy about nine or ten years old sitting directly across from her with a woman she assumed to be his mother. Her eyebrows raised in curiosity when she saw he was looking at her too.

Deciding to humor him, Savannah smiled and gave him a "hello" wave. For a second or two, he smiled softly and waved back at her, until his mother noticed what was going on, and pulled his son away and closer to her. Immediately, Savannah stopped waving, and her smile instantly gave way to a frown. She turned away, looked at her feet, and let out another, heavier sigh as she put her head in her hands. It was no use. No matter where she went, she would always be viewed in the eyes of the world as a freak, simply because she looked different. She had dealt with treatment like this for most of her life, and yet, something about this particular instance made it hurt more than usual. Could it possibly have had something to do with the way she and that guy – Wolverine – had almost made a psychic connection last night?

As soon as she knew what she was thinking, Savannah shook her head. She had to get Wolf-man and that crazy fight they had out of her mind, no matter how hard it was proving to be. And certainly, moping about what had just happened between her and that boy wasn't going to help her cope. No, she had to focus on getting to work on time, and being thankful to finally have a job after six months of diligent searching and living off an inheritance left by her parents. Besides, she'd long been acquainted with the rule that if you don't work, you don't eat.

Turning her head to the window, she looked out with an empty face at the streets that continuously rolled past her, the streets she prowled during the night like the shadow she was. A shadow with stripes to be more accurate. Savannah's frown deepened. That was another reason why she couldn't be discovered. If all those that she protected knew what she'd really looked like, would they reject her as mostly everyone in her life did? Well, if that eventually happened, Savannah found herself reasoning it would be for the better, since it would prove easier to keep people from getting attached to her, and vice versa. And yet, she also found she'd developed a pain in her chest just thinking about the idea. Small wonder ideas were half the time deemed dangerous.

Savannah continued to remain in her own world of deep thought, helped by the gentle driving of the bus that would otherwise have lulled her to sleep, until finally the bus pulled to a stop, and she realized she'd reached the street near her new workplace. Immediately she hopped out of her seat, paid the driver, and hurried down the steps onto the sidewalk. She saw the somewhat massive building just a few hundred yards away, which stood just beyond the city, and for good reason. Savannah wasted no time as she broke into a run, feeling again like she was back in school and running to get to her first class on time.

She hurried to the side of the building and quickly went through the door signed "Employees Only." As soon as she was inside, she spotted the series of shelves where the punch cards were kept, and the machine which stood on the wall beside it. She pulled out her own punch card and, seeing that she still had thirty seconds, immediately punched herself in, letting out a soft victorious "yes." She'd made it, which she considered a triumph in and of itself. But the whole day was still ahead of her, and she knew it. Savannah put up both her card and her purse, stood straight, hoping she appeared confident, and walked down the hall that awaited her.

But just as she was turning the first corner, she instantly collided with someone who had seemed to be trotting down the hall somewhere, and both instantly fell to the floor in a heap. Savannah shook her now hurting head as she started sitting up, beyond frustrated with the guy for running into her, but as soon as she saw how sorry he looked, she quickly decided to take it easy on him.

"Oh man I am really sorry," he said hastily as he stood up and then helped her do the same, "I didn't mean to. I didn't see you."

Savannah took his offered hand and got back on her feet. "It's cool," she tried to assure him, "It was an accident." She then decided to get a good look at him. He looked to be about her age, maybe a little older. He had auburn hair, blue eyes, and freckles, and an interesting smile. She couldn't help but smile in return.

"Thanks," he said. He then raised his eyebrows in curiosity and asked, "Um, I don't think we've met. Well, except for now, of course. Are you new here?"

Savannah's mouth came slightly open, as she wasn't really used to being spoken to this way, if at all. But she quickly remembered where she was and why she was here, and replied in a bit of a shy voice, "Uh, yeah. This is my first day here."

"Oh, well, nice to meet you," he said as he then extended his hand forward again, "My name is Ryan."

"Uh, hi, nice to meet you too," Savannah replied, feeling slightly awkward as she shook his hand, "I'm Savannah."

Ryan opened his mouth to say something, until he and Savannah turned their heads toward the sound of rapid footsteps running down the next hallway, heading in their direction. Another man turned the corner, and stopped in his tracks as soon as he saw the two of them. Savannah immediately wondered if he would ask what they were doing, but instead he waved his hand toward the hall behind him and said, "You two! Come on, we need some help!"

Before Savannah could ask what he was talking about the man turned and continued to run down the hall. Fortunately, when she turned to Ryan, he offered an explanation. "They're unloading their newest arrival, a tiger. We'd better get going." He then took off down the hall after his co-worker, with Savannah following him, her mind whirling with questions. She knew this was a place where exotic animals could rehabilitate, so this likely was a regular occurrence. Still, one question was more prominent than all the others she was thinking of.

"They don't really expect me to handle the tiger do they?" Savannah asked, concerned, not really out of fear so much as a lack of experience.

"Probably not," Ryan replied, "since you're new here. But they are probably going to want us to help with the gates."

Savannah nodded, somewhat glad. While her job consisted mainly of housekeeping like her previous one, she still wanted enough opportunities to get close to the animals. Though she liked all kinds of animals, cats, especially big ones, were her favorites. One of her favorite memories before her parents died was a trip to the zoo they took when she was eight, and she was mesmerized by the white tiger they kept. She'd thought it the most beautiful animal she'd ever seen. And today, she was going to get close to another tiger. She couldn't help being excited.

They hurried through two more hallways, but by now, they were already hearing the growls of the big cat clearly wanting to escape the cage it was in. This only made Savannah and Ryan run even faster, until they finally came upon a door leading outside. Ryan quickly opened it, partially blinding both of them to the bright sunlight rising into the sky. But what immediately caught the attention of both was the small crowd of people awaiting them on the left. Four employees surrounded the cage, which stood against the wall leading to the enclosure, on all sides. The truck which had just been carrying it was parked only a few feet away. But most striking, at least to Savannah, were the two men holding tranquilizer guns, should the tiger try to escape.

Once again, second thoughts about helping flashed across Savannah's mind. But even more prominent were the thoughts that followed, the ones reminding her that she had come here to work after six months of job searching. Especially considering the pay they were offering her, and the fact that she was working with animals, she soon pushed the more troubling previous thoughts aside, and instead stood ready to help out with whatever she was asked to do.

Before long, she and Ryan stood on either side of the cage door. Two of the four employees stood with them, while the other two were holding up the raised door of the enclosure. Savannah kept her hands behind her back, unwilling to unnecessarily risk getting her fingers bitten off. And yet, despite all the precautions these people were rightfully taking, she couldn't help but feel pity for the big cat as she heard him voicing his desire to be free of this virtual prison.

But her pity was quickly replaced with concentration when it was time to do what she had only moments ago been asked to do. On the count of three, Savannah shut her eyes and grit her teeth, ignoring the way her body was reacting to her ever escalating anxiety. With help from Ryan and the two men alongside them, she gripped her now white hands on the cage door, and slowly raised it up. Almost immediately, Savannah heard the tiger swiftly go through the only opening he was offered, letting out low growls as though letting them know he knew what was going on. And just as quickly the other two employees closed and locked the gate to the enclosure, blocking the tiger's only way of escape.

Once the tiger was safely inside, everyone, including Savannah, let out a long-held in sigh, signaling their relief. Soon after, when they were all dismissed with comments of excellent work from their supervisor, whom Savannah realized was the one helping her the whole time, Savannah and Ryan walked back inside together. But as everyone went their separate ways, Savannah couldn't help but stop outside the enclosure that now held the tiger, and look inside. For a moment, the scene immediately reminded her of that which she'd seen at the zoo all those years ago. The inside enclosure was nice enough, and from what she saw of the enclosure outside, it seemed a decent place for the tiger to roam around in. Yet as soon as her eyes focused on the animal in front of her, Savannah's previous pity instantly returned.

From what she knew about big cats, this tiger was a male, and at least three years old. But those facts were the least of her concerns. This tiger, who should have been the pride of the plain she was sure he once lived on, now seemed to be a shell of his former self. He was thin, almost to the point where she could see his ribs, and he continued to roam the enclosure, trying to figure out where he was. Her heart went out to this poor exotic creature who had been ripped away from his homeland for some human's pleasure, but the moment she saw his large brown eyes meet hers, she immediately realized that the big cat within him did not cease to exist. And, more than that, in a very strange way, it almost seemed as though the two had developed a connection. It was almost as if something awoke in Savannah for the first time.

But before she could explore it, Savannah suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked to her left and saw that it was Ryan, looking rather concerned.

"Savannah, you okay?" he asked. Savannah then wondered what had just happened, which probably made her look really stupid, and she shook her head slightly.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine," she assured him, "Just a little shaken, I guess. I mean, I've never helped out with something like this before."

"I get it," Ryan nodded in understanding, "It's always tough the first day on the job. But we should probably get moving before Greg comes back."

"Who?" Savannah asked.

"Our supervisor," Ryan clarified.

"Oh, right," Savannah nodded, having now remembered that name, "I guess I forgot. I'm not too good at names."

"It's cool, you'll get used to it," Ryan assured her, "Come on, we should get back to work." He then turned around and began walking away from the enclosure, and Savannah soon followed. But even as she did so, she couldn't help but turn her head around in the direction of the tiger. Almost immediately, their eyes met again, and even from where she was, she thought she saw the cat's eyes narrow in a menacing way. Despite what happened previously, Savannah turned her head around, preferring not to wonder what was going on, even though the large part of her mind was beginning to fill with questions.

Fortunately, throughout the rest of the morning, she found solace from that unusual experience in her work, which mostly consisted of doing laundry and washing dishes, much like her previous job. Sure, it wasn't the most glamorous of jobs, but the pay was almost twice as much as she got before. And as soon as she saved enough, she would use it to get a college degree and find a much more comfortable career, comfortable to her at least.

Still, though her concentration on her work remained for the next few hours, so did the questions that had formed in her mind after she helped unload the tiger. Why did she feel so empathetic towards him? Sure, she loved animals and felt empathetic toward every one she came across, but this… This was a whole new level of empathy. One she couldn't immediately figure out. It was almost as if some sort of new sense awoke within her the moment she and the tiger made eye-contact, and no matter how much she tried to put the issue in the back of her head, the silent voice it used to call her still demanded the issue be solved.

Luckily, she had another chance to get away from it as soon as her turn for lunchbreak arrived. She headed to the break room, and saw that Ryan was sitting alone at one of the tables, eating a sandwhich. Deciding to humor both him, and herself, Savannah strode over to the table and sat in the chair across from him.

"What's up?" she asked him as she took her lunch out and set it in front of her.

"Nothing much," Ryan replied, smiling through his mouthful, "What do you think about working here?"

"It's nice," Savannah replied casually as she started drinking her Coke, "It's a bit like my old job but, at least the pay is better."

"Is that why you took it?" Ryan asked. When Savannah looked at him with raised eyebrows, he elaborated. "Just asking."

"Yeah," she nodded, "I mean, it took me six months to find it after I was let go, but I guess it was worth the effort."

"You were let go?" Ryan asked, his own eyebrows now raised in curiosity.

"Yeah, I prefer not to talk about it," Savannah said the word out slowly, now realizing in embarrassment just how much of her personal life this virtual stranger could glean from that one sentence. In fact, it only took her until now to see that she was carrying on a conversation with someone other than herself, something she hadn't done in too long a time, and it made her feel very uncomfortable. Trying to avoid it, she turned her attention to eating her lunch, knowing she had only twenty minutes before she was called back to duty again. And yet, this guy had been so nice to her, nicer than anyone had been in a long time, that she felt some new words form in her mind, until she relented and decided to let them out.

"Actually," she started before stopping to let out a sigh, wishing to choose her words carefully, "Thanks for what happened earlier."

"What do you mean?" Ryan asked.

"Thanks for, being nice to me, I guess," Savannah replied, feeling a blush of embarrassment rise to her cheeks. Before she knew it, words were coming out of her mouth before she realized what was being said. "I mean, not a lot of people are, considering my, appearance." She clarified what she meant by showing her arms and then letting her hand pass over her face, which now showed a sad frown. Now that she was actually having a nice conversation with another person, she felt even worse than usual about having her tiger-like markings.

"Well, I think I can see why," Ryan said, "But, if it makes you feel any better, I kinda like your tattoos."

"They aren't tattoos," Savannah replied, not caring how many times she had to say that to someone, "I know this is gonna sound crazy but, I've had them all my life, honestly. And…" She paused, debating whether or not she should tell him. "You probably wouldn't believe what I'm capable of doing."

"Oh?" Ryan asked in curiosity, "Like what?"

"Well, even as a little kid I was always a really fast runner," Savannah explained, somewhat reluctantly yet somehow still wanting the conversation to continue, "Even now I can see well in the dark, I can also hear through solid walls. It's almost like I have superhuman senses or something."

"Hmm," Ryan then mused, almost as though going deep into thought. Savannah waited nervously, wondering what he would think of her explanation. She wouldn't have blamed him if she decided to blow him off. In fact, in keeping with her policy of never getting close to anyone, she found she almost wanted him to.

"Have you ever heard of Professor Xavier's School for the Gifted?" he then asked.

His question somewhat through Savannah off, sending her into confusion. "Huh?"

"I guess you haven't," Ryan shook his head, answering for her, "But it's not that far from here, and you should probably consider going there. They help out people like you. Maybe you could go and find out what all this means. Who knows? Maybe they could help you with your abilities."

Savannah was still confused, despite his explanation. "What do you mean 'people like me?'" she asked, giving voice to her most prominent thought. She then let his words sink in, and soon began to fear that in spite of his kindness, Ryan still thought of her as a freak like everyone else.

"Never mind, it's nothing, forget it," Ryan said as he shook his head again. Something about his response told Savannah that he was probably apologizing, regretting that he was thinking of her as such. And yet, another something seemed to confirm her previous fear, and she released an inner sigh. So he still thought of her as the freak she saw herself as, even if he was being nice to her. After dealing with the somewhat hurtful blow and pushing it aside, knowing she couldn't even think about being friends with him any further, Savannah decided that the conversation should focus on something else and therefore changed the subject.

"Remember that tiger we helped unload this morning?" she asked.

"Yeah," Ryan nodded, "What about it?"

"Why do people think they can keep exotic animals like that as pets?" Savannah asked, the question having been on her mind for quite some time, "I mean, I thought it was illegal, not to mention dangerous."

"It is, both," Ryan nodded again, "But some people just don't care. Some even attempt to breed them and sell off the offspring to willing buyers. I heard the owner of this tiger was arrested a few days ago."

"And he was so thin," Savannah said sadly, remembering how she saw more than one of his ribs, "The tiger, I mean." She then leaned her cheek against her knuckle and asked, "How can anyone do that?"

"I know," Ryan agreed, "It's sad." He then released a sigh and added, "But, in jobs like this, you have to steel yourself against a lot of heartbreak. It's probably the only thing that'll keep you sane in this place."

Savannah released a sigh of her own, before she started staring out into space, deep in her own contemplating thoughts, and said, "I already know the feeling." But it wasn't just steeling herself against moments like the one she experienced that morning. It was protecting herself from heartbreak in general. Not only did she have to go through the loss of her parents at the tender age of ten, but she had to go through another ten years of basically being despised, over-worked, and pushed away for no reason other than being different.

She'd endured a lot in her twenty years of living on this planet, and the only way she'd found she could protect herself from further harm was to act as though it didn't affect her, either positively or negatively. It was tough, but she had grown tough like that tiger she saw in the process, and she would continue to remain that way for the rest of her life if she had to. And well, if Ryan saw her the same ways as everyone else she ever encountered, then so be it. It didn't bother her. Not in the least.

Suddenly though, Savannah saw that in all her thinking, she hadn't eaten much of her lunch. She then looked at the clock on the wall and saw that she'd wasted half of her twenty minutes. She didn't have much time. She spent the rest of her permitted time eating her lunch, letting any more conversation between her and Ryan cease. They didn't even exchange goodbyes when they parted ways to get back to work, and Savannah decided she preferred to keep it that way. Anything to keep a friendship from forming between them, especially considering she had a job to do.

Such was her mindset as she continued to walk down the hall, her back straight and her shoulders set back in her usual stubborn stance, letting anyone who crossed her path know she meant business. Nothing more, nothing less. She was so firm in her concentration, that she was slightly startled when she heard voices further down the adjoining hallway. But it was only when she heard clearly what was being said that Savannah finally did stop in her tracks, and her heart began to race.

"I don't care what you think!" It was a man's voice, attempting to be kept low. "That's not what I pay you for!"

Savannah knew that voice, despite only having heard it a few times. It was the man who'd hired her. The man who ran the place. Vince Raff. And the way in which she heard him talk surprised her. When she first met him for an interview, he seemed nice enough, charming, charismatic even, yet carrying an air of authority around him, which he obviously needed. Yet Savannah was well acquainted with the ways authority was used to carry out less than honorable means. She was able to pick those moments up like having her very own detector in her brain. And she could tell this was one of those moments.

But before she could wonder if she should do anything, Raff continued. "Come in here," he said in a slightly lower tone of voice, "We can't risk being heard out here."

Now Savannah knew she had to do something. Yet she hesitated for a moment. Part of her wanted to hold back, since this was her workplace, and that man was her boss. Could she really risk getting caught eavesdropping, and therefore risk losing the job she'd tried so hard to find? Yet also, she reminded herself that she had the skills of a vigilante, one of which being stealth, and another being sniffing out injustice if it was out there. For a long moment, Savannah weighed both the equally legitimate options, until she finally gave in to the urge to do what she most loved doing. She didn't just exist to do housekeeping. She made it her life's work to help both animals and people, and if the welfare of either was being threatened, she had to do whatever she could to stop it.

After taking a deep breath, yet knowing she didn't have much time, Savannah crouched slightly then hastened around the corner and toward the door she just heard being shut. Now came another time for her ability to hear through solid walls to pay off. And the payoff was immediate. With her ear to the wall, she could hear them almost as clearly as if they were just across the hallway from her. And what she heard made her heart race even faster than before.

"Look, can you at least try to see how unethical this all seems?" another man's voice asked.

"Ethics can go jump in a lake for all I care," Raff retorted sharply, "Can _you_ at least try to see how advantageous this would be for the evolution of mankind? If we can pass this test, we can move on to find volunteers. I'm sure we'd find many to help move this extraordinary breakthrough in science forward."

"And if we can't find any volunteers? At least not immediately?" his assistant asked.

"Oh we'll find volunteers my friend," Raff assured him smugly, "If they won't come willingly, we will weed them out. Such possible advances in the scientific community cannot be ignored. And I know what you're going to say. But scientists such as myself can't afford to be cowardly. After all, most breakthroughs in science have been achieved by taking risks. This will be no different. No matter how dangerous this may all seem, we will eventually get results."

"But what about the law?" his assistant asked, "Doesn't it have a say in what constitutes making breakthroughs in science? Might it even be possible that some risks in life are too great to take?"

"_No_ risk in life is too great to take," Raff replied, "especially considering these filthy creatures I work with."

Savannah's eyes widened in wonder at what he could have meant by that. The animals that came here or the people he employed? Either way, it made her angry, but she nonetheless continued to listen.

"As for the law, they will eventually see my way," Raff continued in that smug tone of his, "Science has usually triumphed, especially in places like the supreme court. But I assure you we won't be going there anytime soon. As soon as I get the results I need, the means of obtaining them will soon fade. Speaking of which, for the first experiment on my roster, I'd say that tiger we unloaded this morning will be a good test subject."

Now Savannah's eyes were wide enough to fall out of her head. Raff was planning to experiment, most likely illegally, on one of the animals in his facility? And not only that, but given the tiger's condition, he probably wouldn't survive any test her boss was planning. Unless he was trying to see how deadly his test was. Savannah pressed harder against the wall, wanting to hear the answer to the next question in her mind.

"I already have a plan in motion," Raff said, "We begin at eight tonight, after the last of my day employees goes home. That'll be when my 'nightly employees' arrive. It'll be like all the other past, 'incidents.' If the tiger proves too weak, his owner's poor treatment of him will be to blame. My day employees will have no idea."

_Except one_, Savannah almost said out loud. Then, having decided she'd heard enough, and being more than disgusted at what she heard, she stood up from her crouching position, and hurried back down the hall to her workplace. As she later began working as though it was still an ordinary day, in her mind, she was already coming up with what she could do to stop Raff. Even if she couldn't stop his experiment, she'd have an eye-witness testimony in addition to the conversation she heard to report to the police. But there was only one way she could get her eye-witness testimony. And, given the way Raff was confident about the way no one would find out what he was doing, Savannah didn't put desperate measures such as murder beyond him.

On the other hand, she could ignore it. Pretend she'd never heard the conversation, and very likely keep the job she'd searched relentlessly for. But the longer she replayed the conversation over and over in her head, the less and less likely that seemed to be an option. Savannah had another job she loved doing. One that seemed more meaningful. And that was being _her_, the shadow of the night who promised justice to innocent people, and now animals to. No. There was no possible way around it. There was no way she was going to let this opportunity slip past her. Considering the circumstances, it looked like she was that tiger's, and possibly all these animals', only hope. And if only she was going to be able to get the condemning information needed to convict Raff of his crimes, she was going to do it. Nothing was going to stop her.

She remained certain of this throughout the rest of the day, even after she checked out, left the building, and walked to the bus stop to get a ride home. Even before she got onto the bus, Savannah was already forming a plan in her mind. Not just a plan of stealth, but even a plan of attack if she was discovered. She wasn't too experienced with weapons, but that would hardly be a problem, considering how she managed to fight off Wolf-man only the night before. If she could do that, she would surely be able to stave off any human opposition thrown at her. They would have no idea what would hit them. And at that thought alone, that she might have the upper hand, Savannah chuckled softly to herself.

But she couldn't get cocky. Even the simplest looking of criminals could turn deadly in a second. And Raff would likely prove no exception. Savannah quickly chastened herself, and refocused her mind on the plan that continued to form in her mind, even after the bus dropped her off and she walked through the front door and up the stairs to her apartment. She knew this was going to be a tricky operation, and that the police likely wouldn't believe her at first, considering her vigilante activity and the fact that she would probably be breaking and entering. But that was necessary. In Savannah's line of thought, sometimes you had to break the law to protect it.

That thought remained with her even after night fell, and seven p.m. came upon her. She quickly applied her stripe-concealing makeup to her face, added the color-changing contacts to her eyes, and then proceeded to change into her trademark black clothing. By the time she looked in the mirror, she was satisfied with what she saw, before she pulled up her face mask past her nose and made her next move. She opening her window, then traversing down the fire-escape to the concrete ground below, before she looked around for any possible threats. Seeing none, she finally made her way forward, behind the protective shadows of the buildings which would soon be replaced by those of the alleyways. She had no time to waste.

Tonight, _she_ was going on what was perhaps her most important mission so far, one which might even land her in a good light with law enforcement. And, as was her usual mindset which seemed so much stronger tonight, no obstacle was going to stop her from seeing it through. Not even one.

* * *

_Reviews would be appreciated._


	3. The Metamorphosis

**X-Men: Eye of the Tigress**

Chapter 3 – The Metamorphosis

Since she wasn't taking the bus, Savannah knew she had to run, and fast, if she wanted to make it back to the building just before eight. Using all of her talents to the best of her ability, she stayed hidden in the shadows when needed, and hurried out from them and through the city when she could. And if she encountered any street guys on the way, well, they would be wise to avoid her just by the look of sheer determination on her face. Tonight, she couldn't let anyone or anything distract her from her goal. She had a plan in mind, and part of it was not allowing her opponents to believe, even for the most fleeting second, that they had the upper hand.

Fortunately, she met no opposition on the way, at least not until the building lay within sight. As soon as she saw it, Savannah's rapidly beating heart flew to her throat at the mere knowledge that she, in either of her identities, was not welcome there. But no criminal activity in any way was allowed in the city she protected either, and no amount of opposition was going to stop her. That especially included the two guards that stood at either side of the employee entrance. Savannah kept her eyes on them as she snuck into the shadows of the nearby foliage, and crept forward until she hid behind a tree just slightly more than a dozen yards away.

For a moment, she just stared in confusion. Savannah knew Raff would probably take extra precautions to keep his secret hidden. But she didn't think he'd go this far. She noted the handguns they kept on their belts, which could allow them to easily shoot her on sight, and the walkie-talkies they both kept, which they could use to immediately alert Raff or one of his cronies to her presence. Once she got past them, she'd have to rid them of their arsenal quickly. And fortunately, she had already concocted a way to get them away from the door they guarded, and walk right into her trap.

Leaning just far enough from her hiding place behind the tree, Savannah took off one of her gloves, raised her fingers to her lips, and let loose the loudest whistle she could summon. When two minutes passed, and she still didn't hear footsteps, she tried again, twice for good measure. The moment she heard voices, she crouched down under the tree's protective shadow, and waited patiently for her prey to walk right into her grasp. All she willed herself to hear was the beat of her own heart, and all she willed herself to feel was the pulse in her head, tuning herself out to the rest of the world, until finally, another shadow walked right next to her.

Not wasting even a second, Savannah instantly wrapped her arms around the guard's neck, and pulled him back against the tree. She placed one hand over his mouth before he could cry out, and the other over his nose in an attempt to drive him into unconsciousness. Still, he fought and struggled to get free of her, leaving her with no other option. The moment she spotted his gun on his belt, she took the chance, grabbed it, and hit him over the head with it hard enough to knock him out. Immediately, he went limp, and she let him go, allowing him to fall to the ground.

And not a moment too soon. Right then, the other guard came into view, but Savannah was ready. She repeated her previous moves, attempting to make him unconscious through suffocation. When he too started to fight her, she took hold of his own gun and did the same with the other guard, knocking him out as well. Her But her business wasn't done. After making sure no one else was coming after her, she took off the belts of both guards and hid them in another patch of foliage nearby. She then looked across at the entrance and noted not only the exposing light above it, but also the moving camera that sat on the wall to her left, vigilantly watching for intruders like her. Even if the light didn't reveal her, the camera would.

Still, that wasn't too big a problem. As soon as the camera started moving away from the door, Savannah looked both ways to make sure no one would see her, took a deep breath, and ran across as fast yet as quiet as she could. Only when she was finally inside with the door closed behind her did she finally let out a soft sigh, both in the fact that she made it, and in the thankfulness that she'd done her research regarding technical security before coming. But her biggest challenge still lay ahead: getting through the building, finding Raff, and demanding he stop his cruelty.

The hallway ahead of her, and the ones leading to the right and left, were dimly let, only by one light each. Obviously another way for Raff to keep his deeds a secret. And at the beginning of the hall in front of her was another moving camera. It may have looked simple, but if there was one thing Savannah learned about being _her_, it was to never let your guard down. Not only did she have to keep the cameras from spotting her, but she also had to keep any guards she encountered from alerting the rest. Even so, she was now inside the building. And there was an already abused tiger about to be abused even more. No. She hadn't let anything make her turn around and flee before. She wouldn't start now.

But still, before she started moving, Savannah took one more deep breath, knowing very well the risks she was facing. She took one step, then another, until she was confidently descending down the hall, keeping out of the light as much as she could, and staying underneath the camera until it turned away from her direction. For now, this would be her strategy. Even so, while she repeated her movements in every hallway, she stayed alert to any sound, any feeling, anything that told her to hide. And it saved her more than once. As soon as she heard the voices or footsteps of guards coming her way, she crouched down behind a corner and kept silent. Only when they were out of her sight and hearing range did she finally move again.

And throughout it all she had to keep the strong beat of her heart and the way her adrenaline coursed through her body under control. With the ever present threat of being exposed by the hall lighting, the cameras, or the guards, it was far from easy. It was even harder to banish thoughts about turning back from her mind. But still, Savannah pressed forward, urged by her desire to see Raff behind bars. That alone was enough to keep her going through this veritable cavern.

She eventually stopped at the corner of the hall that led to Raff's office, where she eavesdropped on his conversation only hours before. When she got home looked at the layout of the building and where the cameras were located, she'd breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that there wasn't one above the office door, which would have revealed her instantly to anyone watching. Even now, she dared to let out the softest of sighs, not only because of her remembering that, but also because she knew that she was now close to the center of the building, having spent the last ten or fifteen minutes wandering through the death-maze of hallways.

Her back against the wall, Savannah inched her way down, holding her breath as she passed just underneath the ceiling light. As soon as she made it to the corner, her eyes caught more light in the distance beyond the hall to the right. Her heart pounding against her chest in anticipation, she bit her lip, and made her way forward toward it. The closer she got, the more narrow her eyes, and the lighter her step, became, until she eventually came across a set of stairs and quickly traveled up them. She then pressed her back against the wall again, and slowly moved forward, until she finally realized she'd reached her destination.

It was a large, somewhat towering room, one she didn't recall entering earlier today. Savannah immediately noted the single cameras which stood above each entrance, along with the solitary guards which stood at each as well, which made her take a couple steps back when she saw one near her. She also saw a series of counters encircling the enclosure that stood in the center, which descended down to the previous floor. On the counters stood all sorts of what appeared to be medical equipment. Knives, scissors, surgical blankets. And beside them stood some technical equipment that looked like what you would see in an operating room, such as a heart-rate and breathing monitor.

But what stood out the most to Savannah were the large needles and bottles of strange looking liquid she saw sitting on the counters as well. Things that were obviously intended to be used on the tiger. It made a gasp escape her lips and a shudder sliver up her spine, but she immediately put her body under her control again. She turned her head though when she heard voices combined with footsteps only a few dozen feet away from her. Her mouth came open and her narrow eyes went wide the moment she saw Raff and two more guards enter the room. She couldn't hear clearly what they were saying, and couldn't risk leaning closer out to do so, but she had a pretty good idea of what they were talking about the moment Raff showed them the needles.

And all of her suspicions were finally proven true when Savannah heard a tiger's growl echo throughout the room. She couldn't see down into the enclosure, but she bit her lip again, harder this time, and willed her eyes to stay dry when she heard the sound get louder. She could tell clearly from the tone that the tiger was not happy about being yanked from his new home so soon, but she knew he would be even more distressed the moment he saw the needles. It was all she could do to stay calm and not blow her cover in order to help the poor animal. But she would, and that scumbag of a scientist would soon find himself in a cage of his own if she had anything to say about it.

First though, she had to get him out of the room before they could do anything, and she already had an idea. She slipped out of the small hallway and went back down the stairs to the first floor, before making her way down the hall to the left and then only two more. After crouching down in a corner to avoid detection from the oncoming guards, she turned to the right, and smiled softly when she saw the door leading to the room holding the electrical system. After looking in both directions and listening out for any other signs of trouble, she darted across the hall and then inched her way to the door, pleased to discover that she could unlock it from the outside. Whoever built this place obviously made a mistake.

As soon as she was inside, she took the risk of turning on the light. But once she did, Savannah noticed to her frustration that the electric box was closed, and likely locked. She needed a key. And Raff was the only one she could think of who might have one. _Wait. What was that?_ She turned her head to look at something she spotted from the corner of her eye, and gave a slight smile when she saw a small knife on the floor nearby. Oh, if only it would work. She took it up, put it to the lock, and turned it left and right, her teeth biting her lower lip nervously. By the time she was feeling sweat trickle down her back like an anxious rain, she heard the glorious sound of the lock being picked, and immediately pulled it open as her now victorious smile grew.

She then scanned the red switches and their respective labels, searching for the one that would turn off the power in the center room. After anxiously wondering if she wouldn't even find it, Savannah finally caught the switch at the bottom, and, after making sure she was still alone, pulled it. The moment she did, her smile gained a hint of mischief, as she briefly imagined Raff's puzzlement and confusion at seeing that the lights were now off. Still, she wasn't about to let anyone reverse her plan. After noticing a fire extinguisher next to her, she grit her teeth, lifted it up, and began hitting the switch until it fell off, leaving it impossible to turn the lights back on. She then let out a small sigh and wiped her forehead of its sweat, knowing that she had to get out of here before she got too tired.

Even so, she also knew someone was inevitably going to come and attempt to fix it. And her exit from the room couldn't be more timely. As soon as she ducked down into the shadows, Savannah saw a guard come her way, with a walkie-talkie in his belt. Her heartbeat then increased rapidly as opposing ideas began to enter her brain, until she finally forced herself to pick one. Well, if it was now necessary to reveal herself, even if it was just for a brief moment, she would. Daring to stand up from her place against the wall, she stood straight, her fists ready, and called out in a small but clear voice, "Hello there."

Instantly, as she expected, he saw her and began to pull out his gun. Knowing she had to be quick, Savannah dove forward, snatched the weapon from his hand, and smashed it against the side of his knee. Before he could strike back, she spun, and then delivered a downward kick on his back, causing him to drop to the floor. After making sure he was out, and seeing and hearing no more threats, she gripped the man's vest, pulled him up, and swiftly tossed him into the electrical room before locking the door. With her cover now likely to be blown though, she knew she had to flee before someone could even come looking for her, and she hurried down the hall to the left. Unfortunately, against her wishes, it wasn't long before she heard voices down the next hall she was about to enter.

"Morgan! Hey, Morgan!" one guard called, "What's goin' on out there?! You alright?!"

Immediately, Savannah crouched down behind the nearest corner. Daring to look slightly around it, her eyes widened and she instantly turned away when she saw them headed toward her. She was already forming a plan in her mind, when she suddenly heard them turn down another hallway. Maybe, just maybe, she could still get away undetected. Deciding to take the risk, against what she presumed to be her better judgment, she stood up, slipped around the corner, and began making her way quietly down the hall. She turned her head, and saw that their backs were turned to her. She bit her lip, looked forward again, and was about to continue on the path, when she heard that unmistakable sound that made her heart stop.

"Hey!" one of the guards called out. "Hold it, freeze!" another shouted. And freeze she did, at least for the moment, while the four guards began to surround her, their guns drawn. With her cover now blown, Savannah's adrenaline and heartbeat went into overdrive, but thankfully, so did that part of her brain where ideas were formed. Forcing herself to be calm, she quickly began looking for any possible way out, until her eyes settled on one of the guards. He was shorter than the rest, even shorter than her. And even though he had taken the same gun-drawn stance as the other three, Savannah knew she had to move, now.

Immediately, she rushed head-on toward the shorter guard. Her arms flew out, she grabbed his shoulders, and then hoisted her body up until she flipped over him. Once she reached the floor, she continued running down the hall at breakneck speed, while the rest of the guards behind her continued their pursuit at nearly the same pace. Even so, Savannah started to form her next plan on how to stop them. And as soon as she had one, she quickly put it into effect.

After darting around a corner, she put her hands together. The moment one of the guards was next to her, she acted fast and rammed both elbows into his chest before throwing a punch, smacking him in the jaw. When one of the others tried grabbing her, she wrapped her arm around his neck in a headlock, and kicked the third who was about to attack her in his chin, sending him to the floor. For her final moves, she knocked her elbow into the side of the guard she had in a headlock, then grabbed hold of his nearest wrist and hurled him over her onto the ground in a flip. And once she knew that she had felled all three guards, she couldn't help but smirk when she saw the results.

"Time for bed," she said softly. The instant she finished speaking though, her head jerked back forward as she heard someone shout in the distance, "You idiots!" And not long after, Savannah spotted none other than Raff running as fast as a human being could down the hallway to her right. As soon as she did, her eyes narrowed, and a growl subconsciously escaped her lips. She had spotted the object of her anger, and she wasn't going to let him get away without knowing it. Wasting no further time, she took off in his direction, intent on catching up to him before he could even have a chance to leave the building.

Her ears never lost the sound of his footsteps ahead of her, and she managed to steer clear of more guards. But the longer she stayed in her pursuit, the more frustrated she became. Suddenly though, another idea entered her mind when she realized both of them were headed in the same direction. Daring to go through with it, Savannah ran even faster than before to make it to the nearest corner. Once she made it, she waited until a near-blur came up right next to her, and would have passed her completely had she not lunged forward, grabbed him, and held him firmly with her back against the wall.

"What the, ack!" He tried to speak, but Savannah tightened her hold on him to keep him from doing so. She then gritted her teeth, and in a voice only the two of them could hear, she whispered in his ear, "Not a sound. Not _one_ word, you hear me?"

He promptly obeyed, standing stock still as a statue in her hold and allowing her to continue conversing with him. "I know what you're doing here, Raff," she said in the same low, somewhat menacing voice she'd long saved for him, "I know your secret."

"What?" he asked, daring to speak up, "Who…?" His own voice trailed off, and Savannah immediately saw why as she spotted realization dawn on his face. "Wait, I know who you are," he said. For a moment, she feared the worst, until he spoke again. "I thought you only helped out people."

Her relief at him not saying something else was short-lived, and replaced by an annoyance that now crept into her tone. "Why do you think I'm talking to you?" she asked. Then, deciding not to wait for an answer, she added, "People, animals, it doesn't matter. What matters is that you're busted."

"You can't do this to me," he then said, prompting Savannah to kick him in the shin and grab him by the hair, turning him around to face her.

"Oh can't I?" she asked. Her eyes now blazing with hostility, she added, "Listen up. Unless you want to go one-on-one with me – and I'm a pretty darn good fighter – you'll do as I say. Do I make myself clear?"

His eyes, if not his whole face, showed the debate that now seemed to war in his mind. Part of her wanted to tell him to hurry up, but caution told her he could be hiding some hidden strength, using his cooperation as a ruse to let her guard down. But she was too smart for that. She kept her eyes on him, urging him silently to decide if he would still cooperate, until he finally pressed his lips together and let out a sigh. "Fine," he added.

Savannah smiled behind her face-mask. "Good," she nodded, "Now come with me. I promise I won't hurt you, as long as you return the favor." She then walked forward, and Raff immediately did the same, since he was still being held in her firm grasp. And until she was done with him, she had no intention of letting go.

"Where are you taking me?" Raff asked.

"You don't need to know," Savannah replied.

"Do the police know you're here?"

"Like I'm gonna tell you. Now shut up!" Savannah said with a hiss. She wasn't about to let this guy blow her cover again. Although she could go against more guards if she needed to, she wasn't in the mood for it, having fought five of them already. Fortunately, with the way Raff was behaving so far, it was likely he was going to keep his mouth shut, keeping the odds of the whole situation in her favor. All she could focus on now was getting him to his office, where she would keep him while she called for the police. Of course, there was the matter of whether or not they would believe her, but she would deal with that when the time came.

For the next few minutes, Savannah escorted Raff through the maze of hallways, fighting the urge to smirk since she had just busted her new boss. Yet still, she had her suspicions. People like Raff usually had a backup plan or two if they were caught. She remained vigilant as she had ever since she arrived, looking around and listening out for any possible threats, not just from the halls, but from Raff as well. Before long, they were coming near to his office, when Raff spoke up again.

"Who are you?" he asked.

Not a rare question, but Savannah couldn't help but roll her eyes. "No one important," she assured him.

"Are you sure?" Raff pressed her, "You could at least give me a clue. Either me or, my friends."

"You're friends aren't here to help you," Savannah retorted, her instinct for danger now kicking in.

"Oh I beg to differ," Raff replied. In that moment, Savannah knew what he meant, and her eyes went wide as she was suddenly surrounded by eight guards, more than she'd ever faced in her career, let alone her life. They all came out from behind a series of corners, their guns drawn and their stances defensive. "Security!" one shouted. "Freeze!" another called out. Immediately, Savannah stopped in her tracks. And for the moment, all she could do was look around as the guards slowly began to zero-in on her, threatening to overwhelm her, leaving her the one captured instead of Raff, and possibly with her identity revealed. Maybe, maybe they would even kill her.

"Surprise," Raff said smugly.

"Dirtbag," Savannah muttered under her breath. Like before, she immediately began looking around and trying to think of a way to escape. If she didn't, the consequences would only be disastrous. But she wouldn't, couldn't let any of them happen. She hadn't come this far only to fail. She continued to think and do it hard, until she realized she was still holding onto Raff. No wonder the guards hadn't fired at her yet. Deciding to take even the slimmest opportunity to have the upper hand, she tightened her grip on her former boss, holding him firmly against her, and turned to boldly face the men.

"Not another move," she threatened, "or…I'll break his neck!" Savannah hoped she delivered that line convincingly enough, because if they had really took the time to listen, everyone would know she was bluffing. She didn't think she could actually do that. Not only had she never learned how to, but she didn't believe she could bring herself to do it. Even as _her_, she had never killed anyone, at least not intentionally. It was part of her policy, one of the things she believed separated her from the criminals she fought. Now though, even if she couldn't do the deed, she had to make everyone believe she was capable.

For what seemed to be the longest, yet shortest time. It seemed to work. The guards began to back off, and Savannah was already planning her next move. She couldn't recall another time when she felt more on her toes, more full of adrenaline, knowing she had to make the right decision and make it fast. But before she could actually form it in her mind, something happened that neither the guards, Raff, or even Savannah could suspect. It happened so fast that none of them even had a time to blink in reaction. Right in front of everyone's eyes, a young woman, or at least what appeared to be one, came not around the wall, but through the wall itself. She then hurried past everyone, even pushing them aside, and for a moment the rational part of Savannah's mind could only wonder if she had actually seen what her eyes declared she saw.

But before anyone could do the same, it felt as though the ground was beginning to shake, like a precursor to an earthquake. But instead of an earthquake, another person came through the wall, with a more explosive entrance. This person looked like a big, hulking, heavy-weight wrestler, and he let out a deafening yell that matched his enormous size. But that was all Savannah managed to see and hear before the impact of the wall being demolished caused her to crash to the floor, along with everyone else. That alone was enough to shake her on the inside as much as the outside. She'd never been practically blasted off her feet before, and it made her heartbeat skyrocket.

It also made her realize that, no matter how confusing those two sights just seemed to her, she now had to escape. Not just from the guards, but also from whoever had blasted his way through the wall. Savannah saw that they now looked distracted, having obviously been as shocked as she was, and that the guard nearest to her had dropped his gun. She took hold of it, aimed it at the light right above her, and pulled the trigger.

"Hey!" one of the other guards shouted. But she didn't respond. She instead got right back on her feet, the gun still in her hand, and took off down the hallway. She heard one, then two gunshots behind her, and saw two bullets hit the wall in front of her, but the guard had missed. She then took her own gun and fired at the other light in the hallway she was now traveling, before she finally dropped it. Despite all the times she fought criminals with guns, she herself had little experience with them, and didn't want to fire it at the right time. Right now, all she was concerned about was getting out of the building before something else unexpected happened.

And apparently, so was everyone else. Savannah came across more guards, but they didn't try to attack her. Or if they did, she only shoved them aside, shouting, "Move!" Her panic, which she had largely kept under control, only increased when she felt and heard the earth begin to shake again. Where was the nearest exit? Would she remember? Could she make it there without being pounded? Well, all she knew was that she had to, and she had to get out fast. Unfortunately, having spent most of her time here fighting off bad guys and using much of her mental energy in trying to stay hidden, her body and mind were now both begging for rest. For a while, she refused, until all of a sudden, the impact of what seemed to be a distant blast somehow reached her, causing the floor to swiftly meet with the rest of her. Well, maybe it wouldn't hurt to get a brief breather.

She looked around, and saw the door of what appeared to be another office. Savannah quickly stood up and dashed for it. The moment she was inside, she slammed the door shut, locked it, and then turned around, not caring where she was. All she wanted was to sit down for just a few seconds. Then she would continue searching for an exit. For now, she pulled down her face-mask, allowing her to breathe cleaner air for the first time in what felt like forever. And once she realized her back had found another wall, she sank down to sit on the floor, panting like someone who had just been asked to run a marathon, during an earthquake.

Unfortunately, while her mind began wondering wildly over what she'd just seen, her newly-found sanctuary didn't remain peaceful for long. Before she completely, another blast similar to the one she saw only a short while ago erupted near her, coming from the ceiling instead of one of the walls. And down came what looked like another heavy-weight wrestler, but this one was like none she'd ever seen. While he certainly had the muscle-power, what immediately made her eyes widen in shock was his skin. It looked like it was made of metal, maybe steel, because when he hit the floor, it sounded like metal clashing against metal. Instantly, Savannah unconsciously let a gasp escape her lips. If she was confused before, now the situation at hand seemed to make absolutely no sense.

The man of steel immediately began to get up from the pile of debris he caused, and as he did, he made eye-contact with her. Savannah could only look with a gaping mouth, and wonder if he might even harm her. Against her expectations though, or whatever ones she had left, he only made an attempt to smile and said in a somewhat polite voice, "Sorry." And before Savannah could ask what was happening, he turned, headed toward the door, and crashed his way through it like the first man she saw previously. While she didn't have a clue where he was headed, one of the possibilities that formed in her mind was going to find that other heavy-weight wrestler.

But even as she began to crawl forward, Savannah was immediately halted by a sudden and sharp pain to her head. She sat on her knees and pressed her hands to her temples, and instantly tried to massage them in an effort to lessen it. Just then though, the pain began to inexplicably travel from her head, down her back, to her torso, and then to her limbs. And as soon as it did, the pain steadily got worse and worse until it felt like her entire body was on fire.

Inwardly demanding an answer yet somehow not able to put it in words, Savannah only cried out, yet no one came to her side. She was left alone to face the pain that now seemed to reach her very bones. And in a literal sense. It felt as though someone had found a way to put nerve-endings in marrow, to the point where it was becoming unbearable. Not only that, but the pain in her abdomen was becoming especially sharp, and she could also feel a strange, foreign substance cover her body. The sensation of all this distress, both physical and mental, made her scream again. But still, she remained alone.

Desperate to make it all stop by any means necessary, Savannah began clawing at her face, which now seemed foreign to her. By now, the pain was so horrific it was like she was being pulled apart at the molecular level, and she was begging someone to just shoot her and end the torturous misery. It built within her, bit by bit, threatening to explode like a giant bomb, until she finally let loose a third scream that put any other she ever unleashed to shame. What she didn't completely realize though, was that her scream quickly changed into what sounded like a roar, one that only ceased when the pain slowly started to.

Savannah panted even harder than before. If it felt like she had run a hundred miles before, now it felt like she'd run a thousand, even a million. Still, all she knew was that the pain was finally leaving her after what seemed like hours, and she felt exhausted to the point of wanting to lie down and sleep. Yet somehow, in spite of this ordeal, her mind remained intact, and reminded her that she was still in a building full of overly-muscular maniacs, and that she had to leave. Not being one to easily avoid what her danger instinct was telling her, Savannah began to pull herself together, because now was no time to wallow in what had just happened.

And yet, when she tried to stand back up, she found she could only crawl, or just walk on all fours. Wanting now more than ever to know what had just occurred, she located a nearby mirror, and wasted no time making her way toward it. As soon as she saw her reflection though, she immediately backed away in shock. But the longer she looked at it, the more it grew, until her previous panic finally gave way to frightened disbelief.

What she saw was not a twenty-year-old human female in all black clothing, concealing the stripes only slightly darker than her skin. Instead, she saw a creature unlike any she'd seen before. It looked like a tiger, and a large strong one at that. But instead of white fur with black stripes, it had black fur with white stripes. Wide, bright, blue eyes stared back at her, reflecting the emotion that whirled like a wild hurricane within her. Her mouth continued to stay open. But once she tried to speak, all that Savannah could let out was a growl or two. Thinking the mirror might be playing an unbelievable trick on her, she looked down, expecting to see hands. But what she found instead were a pair of large paws, fitted with sharp claws. And apparently, that new appendage she felt in the back was her tail, waving nervously back and forth like someone would wave their hand to call for help.

This couldn't be happening. It had to be a dream, if not a nightmare. But all that pain Savannah just experienced told her in the form of a very sharp pinch that this was no illusion, no dream. She was no longer a human. Against all rationality and all reason, she had transformed into a tiger that as far as she knew did not exist. She didn't know how, or why. All she knew was that she did, and that she desperately wanted to be a human again.

But how could she get back to being one? Thinking it worth a try, Savannah closed her eyes again, attempting, against her better judgment, to feel that pain again. Yet no matter how hard she tried, every time she opened her eyes, she saw to her dismay and distress that her hands were still paws. Now, instead of being left alone with just physical and mental pain, she was left with the emotional pain of wondering with all of the ability she had left what was going on, why this had happened, and what she needed to do next.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, the answer to her third question was immediate. She felt the impact of another blast that seemed to come from a distance, and Savannah remembered once again that she needed to leave the building, unless she wanted to find herself in the middle of a massive wrestling match. While part of her believe that as a tiger, she could easily take them on if she crossed them, that human part of her that remained still wanted to just leave. And considering all she'd already experienced, the latter option looked more attractive.

Whether she was a tiger or a human, Savannah at first didn't care how anyone reacted to her as she began to run, rather effortlessly, down the hall on all fours. All the guards she came across quickly jumped out of her way. But before long, Savannah could tell just by the looks on their faces that they believed they were trying to avoid not just a big cat, but also a monster. Had she retained her tear-ducts, she would have found some tears stinging her eyes right now. Never had she felt the pain of rejection quite like she felt it now. She was surprised she still had that part of her humanity that begged to find someone to look at her without being afraid. But now that she was a tiger, she feared it would never come. Yet she still continued to run, still continued to evade everything behind her and in front of her, no matter how threatening it seemed.

Once she got near the center of the building though, Savannah came to a halt as soon as she heard a big cat's growl that wasn't her own. Cautiously, she turned, and her eyes widened when she saw not just any big cat, but the very she'd helped to unload just that previous morning and had come to try and help. Now he was free, his eyes were locked on hers, and they did not look friendly at all. And though he may have been thin, his body still held a lot of muscle, and those claws and teeth looked unbelievably sharp. No longer did he look pitiful as she'd seen him before, now he looked like the beast he was, intent on reminding this other tiger in front of him that she was invading his territory. Even he viewed her as a monster.

Savannah, immediately remembering the human part of her, wanted to flee instead of fight. All she'd previously and desperately wanted was to get out of this building, before someone captured her for their own villainous research or even killed her. And yet, she also remembered that she was now a tiger. If anything, based on what she saw in that mirror, this tiger should have been afraid of her rather than the other way around. Part of her also knew that even if she turned to flee, the tiger would follow her. And if she got unlucky enough, he would clamp his jaw down on her throat and kill her. It was no use. There seemed to be no substitute. Survival, like with most animals, was now the name of the game. And if this tiger was looking for a fight, she would make sure he never attempted to fight her again.

Trying to transfer some of her martial arts training to her new body, Savannah planted her paws to the ground in an attempt to form a defensive position. She then watched with narrow eyes as the tiger began to walk around her, it seemed. Even while she watched, her old compassion for animals made her want to feel pity for this tiger she'd come to save. And for a moment, she did. Suddenly though, as if in a split second, all of her previous pity faded away as soon as the tiger leaped toward her. Still, she was ready, and as with any other fight, she was determined to win.

But this fight immediately proved to be different from any other she participated in. Knowing she couldn't stand up like a human to punch or kick, Savannah had to improvise. She thought from early on that it would be hard, but after being tackled to the ground and suffering a swipe to the face, she believed she had a feasible way of fighting, one that seemed almost to be natural. But this was no time to reflect on how she could react to that. She leaped at the tiger before her, giving him two swipes rather than one, and before she knew it, the two were locked in a battle of trying to embrace the other and bite them. In between roars, growls, and attempted attacks, the two remained in what appeared to be a stalemate. But it was suddenly broken when the tiger's speed outdid hers and sent his jaw down on her neck, causing a sharp, immense sting and ache combined to erupt from Savannah in the form of a pained roar.

Fortunately, that also caused her own speed to return in full swing. She threw a swipe at the tiger's face and scored, sending him flying away from her. Though the sting and ache remained strong and intense in the side of her neck, Savannah knew the fight wasn't over. Ignoring the bite she received, she hurled herself at the tiger, determined to make him see that she was the stronger one. They tumbled across the room in a red, white, and black heap, leaving blood as their trail, until Savannah finally let out another roar and let loose another swipe. Again, she hit her target. But it only seemed to make the tiger even angrier. Throwing a swipe of his own, instead of hitting her in the face, he hit her in the side, causing a pain much like the one in her neck to shoot through her body. Still, Savannah refused to give up. Deciding to use her own jaw, she again leaped forward and sent it down on the tiger's own neck, returning the favor he so generously left her.

Unfortunately, as they continued to fight, on and on, it seemed, while Savannah scored as many hits against the tiger, she received what she considered the more painful ones. Against the exhaustion that began to return to her body in massive waves, seeing red and at the same time experiencing it, she let out roar after roar and swipe after swipe as she continued to fight the tiger. Until, inexplicably, she realized that she was swiping at nothing. She opened her eyes and saw, to her amazement, that the tiger was running, or rather trying to run, away, leaving a trail of blood in his wake, making it clear that he would likely die from his injuries. And just like that, despite all that had passed between them, Savannah wanted to cry out in distress, now knowing that not only had she failed to actually help this tiger, but she was now probably going to be responsible for his death. It seemed just another life uselessly wasted, and all Savannah found herself able to do was to let out one last roar in place of a cry.

As soon as she let it out though, the critical nature of her own condition then began to sink in. Savannah didn't think she'd ever suffered so much pain in one night, both in body, and in mind. And judging by the pain that continued to throb in her own wounds, she had a feeling that all of the scratches, punches, and ordeals she took would inevitably leave scars, and ugly ones. Yet, somehow, none of that seemed to matter. In spite of all that she experienced tonight, she was still alive, and that, in and of itself was an achievement. And not only had she managed to fight off Raff and his men, but she also somehow fought off one of the kings of the kingdom of big cats, and won.

Even so, before long, Savannah felt the true effects of all this conflict start to reap their consequences. Her vision began to blur, her strength began to leave her, and her world began to spin. Before she knew it, she had collapsed to the floor in the pool of the blood she'd both lost and brought forth. Just when she thought that might be the end though, she felt pain come over her body much like the kind she experienced that caused her to turn into a tiger. And yet, this time, it was different. Instead of being unbearable and making her want to die, this seemed almost, in a paradoxical way, to feel like a cloud was enveloping over her. And unlike before, she didn't try to fight it. After all the punishment she took, she could definitely deal with this.

The next thing she knew, she opened her eyes, and saw to her disbelief yet great joy, that her paws were once again human hands. But all the stinging and aching sensations she experienced just before as a tiger remained, and she had the feeling that this might very well be the end of her. Well, if it was… Wait. What was that? Savannah forced her now heavy head to look up, and as soon as she laid adequate sight on them, she believed she saw human legs. And yet, she wasn't afraid. She had to believe that this person might help her. Though she didn't have the strength to look up at them and see their face, Savannah did have enough to begin to crawl forward. Lifting a now red arm, she pulled her mangled body forward. Once. Twice. Three times. Until she could do it no more.

Just when she felt like she might pass out though, Savannah felt herself being gently lifted up. Needing to know for one more time what was happening, she forced her eyes to open. Her vision, though very blurry, still managed to catch sight of the eyes of the person now holding her. They were fierce, yet somewhat gentle, and she could have sworn she saw them before. But she didn't want to think anymore. She only wanted one thing.

"Help me," she said with what remained of her voice, "Help me." That was all she could manage to say. And yet, it was enough. The last thing she remembered before fading into the now comforting darkness was the feeling of the corners of her mouth subconsciously turn up slightly. Despite all the trials she faced, Savannah knew that she had come out strong. She was a survivor. She was the fighter she always was and always would be.

* * *

_Reviews would be appreciated._


	4. Wait…I'm What?

**X-Men: Eye of the Tigress**

Chapter 4 – Wait…I'm What?  


Not long after she closed her eyes, Savannah found herself drifting, almost floating, through a wide black tunnel that seemed to represent the inner workings of her complex mind, all the places she knew existed, and some places she didn't know were there. It was the strangest, yet most peaceful sensation she had ever known. No need to think, feel, or do anything. All that she seemed to do was just exist. There were times that she wanted to leave, and others when she wanted to stay. Yet no matter her opinion, for a time that seemed so short yet so long at the same time, she stayed in this cavernous place which offered comfort and a sense of security. One that seemed to go on for a timeless eternity.

There were times when she thought she could regain consciousness though. For a few fleeting moments, she thought she could hear voices. Some urgent, and some calm. But even as she tried to figure out what they were saying, they would slip out of her grasp again. And before long, she would forget that she had even heard the voices at all. She would fade like a lone spirit from the light and back into the darkness of her subconscious again. Whether it was her choice or that of another over her, it didn't seem to matter. It happened anyway.

And the dreams. Those were the weirdest, most bizarre dreams Savannah ever had in her life. In the strangest one, it looked as though she were floating in outer space, with billions of stars, galaxies, and other worlds in the distance, just out of her reach, yet also appearing close enough that she could reach out her hand and scoop them up. But it was not a place of comfort. She was all alone, naked in the dark. And despite all the beauty she saw before her, she felt as though she might as well be in a dense, underwater place, which waited for her to drown so it could take another victim in its hold. Her heart threatened to beat its way to destruction, and she didn't know if she'd ever be able to breathe again.

But just when she thought she was about to fade into oblivion, a pair of invisible arms reached out and embraced her in a warm and inviting hug. So relieved did Savannah feel upon receiving it that she simply melted into the embrace, closed her eyes, and hugged the person back. And she was by now so exhausted that she didn't even open her eyes again to look at the person who was holding her. Yet something within her, almost like that strong sense of smell most animals have, could tell her without needing to open her eyes just what this person was like. It was a man, and he smelled of strength and security all at once. He smelled of fierceness yet gentleness, of adventure yet familiarity. And that was the scent that struck her the most. The one that she thought the most odd. How could he have seemed so familiar if she didn't even know whether or not she'd even met him?

Before she could try to grasp what it could all mean though, Savannah felt the man's embrace leave her, fade away like a simple mist. And as soon as she was alone again, she began to feel as though she was rapidly descending down into an abyss made of nothing. Nothing at all. And it frightened her. She opened her mouth to scream, yet no sound erupted from her lips. She felt out for anything, anything at all, to break her fall, but she found nothing. All she knew for sure was that she was falling to her doom. From here, it seemed only that the void where nothing existed awaited her, waiting to swallow her up as she fell further and further. All she could do was close her eyes and await her eventual fate.

And yet, it never came. The next thing Savannah knew, she was still in the black world that had become all too familiar to her, but she was no longer falling. Instead, she was lying on something pretty soft and comfortable. Her head was propped against something similar. And her ears were filled with a repetitive beeping noise. For the longest time, all she could do was just lie where she was, listening to that beep every second or two while she remained unable to move. Until the need to know where she was finally gave her the strength to open her eyes.

For a while, they felt heavier than lead. Just the effort of trying to open them made her want to give up. But if there was anything Savannah knew she wanted, it was to get out of this confusing blur of an existence and get back to a tangible reality. So she kept trying and trying, harder and harder, until, at last, with a slight groan, she began to see something other than the darkness she wanted so badly to leave.

At first, her vision was blurry. Once it focused though, she found herself staring at a finely designed marble ceiling. But still, she wanted to see more. Using as much effort as she previously used to open her eyes, she transferred it to her attempt to move her head. Slowly yet surely, she lifted it up. And despite the immense weight it now held, she managed to keep her head in that position while she looked around.

Savannah first saw that she was laying in a large bed. Much larger than the one at her apartment, anyway. And much like one you would see in a rich person's home. The blankets were not only warm yet looked pretty expensive. Then again, so did the rest of the room the more she looked at it. On the left were two windows with opened velvet curtains, letting so much sunlight flood into the room Savannah reasoned it was early afternoon. There was an antique-looking desk made of what looked to be freshly polished wood sitting in between them, and a similar looking chest of drawers on the wall to her right. There were still-life paintings of flowers decorating the walls in some places. Savannah didn't think she'd ever been in a finer room.

But that was before the beeping noise caught her attention again. She turned to look at its source to her right, but when the corner of her eye caught something, she looked down instead to find, with wide eyes, that she was wearing a hospital gown. And that was just the first of a series of weird discoveries. When she tried sitting up, she found that she was held back by something that wrapped around her face and sat underneath her nose. With annoyance, Savannah removed the nasal cannula. But the moment she sat up, the weight in her head gave way to an ache that hit her like a basketball. A groan immediately erupted from her lips, and her hands flew to her head as she closed her eyes and began to massage it.

Once she opened her eyes again though, she saw that there were stickers on her chest, which she soon discovered lead to a heart-rate and breathing monitor. Savannah put her face in her palm. Of course that was what was making the beeping noise. And she wanted it to stop. Her hand flew to her chest and she immediately pulled the stickers off. The beeping then turned into a flat high-pitched noise, making Savannah want to turn it off all the more. Fortunately, her eyes landed on the power cord. She knew she shouldn't pull on it, but she didn't care. She pulled until the noise disappeared and the screen on the monitor went black.

But that wasn't the most troubling problem. Savannah's eyes went wide once again when she saw that there was a needle taped into her right wrist. Her vision followed the accompanying cord, until she discovered that it was actually an IV. Wonderful. Just what she needed to wake up to. It most likely gave her nutrients while she was incapacitated. But now that she had regained consciousness… Well, it had to come out. The hard thing was that it would be easier said than done.

Savannah knew though that she had to try. She spotted on the bedside table to her right a small metal tray holding a couple rolls of bandages, a few balls of cotton, and half a dozen safety pins, all of which she would soon need. She also saw a pen next to it, which she also needed. She took it swiftly in her hand, and then put it in her mouth to hold between her teeth. And just as swiftly, her eyes flew to the IV in her wrist. With a very careful left hand, she slowly undid the tape holding it. And finally, with her teeth firmly holding the pen and her eyes locked on the task at hand, she just as slowly pulled the needle out, while she used just as much effort to keep even the smallest of noises from slipping out.

Immediately dark red blood began to sickly seep from the fresh wound. Within just a few seconds though, Savannah placed the needle on the tray and grabbed one of the rolls of bandages along with a ball of cotton. After placing the latter on her wrist, and spitting the pen out of her mouth, she began to hastily wrap the bandage around the wound, thankful that she had helped out enough at her previous job to have satisfactory experience in matters such as this. Once she had bound her wrist enough, she used her teeth to tear the rest away, and then reached for a safety pin to hold it together.

Savannah let out a sigh as soon as she was done, having now relieved herself of all the blasted medical equipment that made her feel more like she was being experimented on rather than aided. Then again, she'd never been in such a situation. Moreover, and more importantly, she'd never been in a place like this. And, perhaps most important of all, she knew she had to leave. Just because she was in a luxurious looking place and even received medical help didn't mean the people who kept her here were nice. And considering all the images that flashed into her mind regarding the night before, that gave her all the more reason to escape, and fast.

Savannah tossed the blankets aside and set her bare feet on the floor. But once she stood up, she wished she had considered how serious her condition might be, because a sharp pain immediately shot up her right side, causing black spots to form in her vision. Stifling a groan, she grabbed hold of the edge of the bedside table to steady her, and held her hand to her apparently still injured side. There she waited until the pain, and the accompanying need to throw up, left her. Only then did she turn and begin to walk, slowly, away from the bed and toward the white door she'd seen earlier. Despite her urgency to leave, she still needed to know the extent of her injuries. And hopefully this door led to a place where she could find that out.

It did. Upon turning on the light, Savannah found it led to a bathroom, the luxuriousness of which matched the room behind her. There was a scent of lavender hanging in the air. The sink was made of fine, polished marble. The tub looked large enough to hold at least three people. For a brief moment, she even allowed herself to imagine immersing herself in some fine, relaxing hot water after a long, hard day of work. Not that she couldn't do that at her apartment, but this tub looked far more inviting. Suddenly though, Savannah shook her head in order to get that distracting notion that she had no time for out of her mind. And when she saw the mirror above the sink, she did not hesitate to head over to it.

Yet nothing could prepare Savannah for what she was about to see. The moment she saw her reflection, she let out a gasp and even took a step back before her wide eyes really began to let the image before her sink in. Whether what she saw made her turn pale, or she already was, she didn't know. And she didn't care. She didn't think she looked so unlike herself in her life. Not only did it look like she'd lost weight, but it looked like her body had taken its baddest punishment in ever. With a gaping mouth, and a slow hand, she reached it up to the right side of her head. Halfway to the center of her forehead was a long line of blue stitches. She also traced another line stretched from the bridge of her nose to underneath her left eye. It seemed if she had some on both sides of her mouth, she'd probably look like an old-fashioned, hideous, life-size doll. All she could do to cope with the troubling thought was bite her lower lip.

Before she could close her eyes too, Savannah noticed something else out of the corner of her eye, something that was blue. Moving aside the collar of her gown to bare her left neck and shoulder, she also exposed the two lines of stitches that stretched nearly halfway to her chest. But unlike the two she noted earlier, these series of sutures were twice as thick, and she made a sick face at the sight of the dark bruises surrounding them. "Geez," she breathed as she pressed her hand to them, just to know for sure that they were real. For one too-long minute, while she wished to look away, Savannah's eyes seemed to have a mind of their own, because their gaze was locked as if in morbid fascination at the grisly sight before her. The only thought that seemed to come into her head was to say goodbye to low-cut dresses.

But then there was that pain she had earlier on her right side. Well, she had an idea of what she might see. Biting her lower lip even harder, and inhaling a quick breath, Savannah pulled up her hospital gown to see the damage done to her torso, and immediately saw that this one was undoubtedly the worst of all. She didn't think she'd seen so many stitches in one place at one time. And like on her shoulder and neck, there were two lines of them. As far as she could tell, they stretched around her rib cage to nearly the middle of her back. And as soon as she bent forward, she bit her tongue at the pain that shot through her like a shockwave. Could she really even attempt to try and escape? She'd never sustained injuries such as these. And on the chance that the ones keeping here were nice, especially considering where she could have otherwise ended up…

No. Savannah immediately shook her head. After learning her boss was not what he seemed, this was the worst time for her to take risks. And besides that, she was tough. Always had been and always would be. Even as a little kid she never cried when she hurt herself. Why should she start now, especially considering these were far from skinned knees and other playground wounds? Savannah shook her head again, forcing herself to focus. She couldn't allow even herself to stray her from the task at hand. So what if she was hurt? So what if the place she was put in looked like a billionaire's mansion? Bottom line, she could deal with her injuries and she didn't want to be here. Forget taking risks. Forget that she'd only been awake for a few minutes. She was leaving.

Of course, she would be able to only if the door was unlocked. Her eyes on it over her shoulder, Savannah turned, steeled herself, and managed to head over to it without paining her body further. Steeling herself again, this time against disappointment, she laid her hand on the knob, and turned it. To her relief, it was unlocked, but she didn't open it fully. Daring to open it just a little, she leaned forward and looked around as much as she could. Fitting her expectations, what she saw looked as elaborate as her room. Though all she saw was a hallway, it looked like one she would see at a five-star hotel. And she was sure the rest looked similar.

But she wasn't here to admire the place. Feeling her heart beat hard against her chest, Savannah slowly opened the door further, and leaned out to look down the rest of the hall. After two minutes of seeing and hearing nothing, she finally opened the door all the way, and took her first few steps out. Very slowly, her eyes and ears as alert as they could be, she continued down the hall. She was about halfway down when she suddenly heard two sets of footsteps and two masculine voices coming up the set of stairs on the right. Immediately, she pressed her back against the wall to her right, where she was least likely to be seen, and froze. She then watched as two men walked up together, talking to each other. She couldn't see what they looked like, since their backs were turned to her, and she was so focused on escaping that she didn't bother to listen to what they were saying.

The moment they started walking down the other hallway, away from her, Savannah, even slower than before, began slinking her way down the rest of her hallway toward the stairway nearest to her. Yet she kept her eyes on the men just a few feet away from her. And just that simple act proved to be a big mistake, because before she even started down the first step, she bumped into a stack of papers, carried by one of the strangest, if not the strangest, man she'd ever seen. He was large, with yellow eyes that widened upon meeting her own wide ones, but the thing that stood out the most was his blue skin and the blue fur that framed his face, his chest, and just about every part of him. And just as quickly as her focus turned on him, the following second it was even more swiftly turned to the fact that she'd now been discovered.

"Oh, pardon me ma'am," Bluebeard said before she could even think to stop him. While momentarily happy that she hadn't caused him to spill his papers, her eyes flew to the two men she saw earlier, and she let out a gasp when she saw that they'd turned and spotted her.

"Wait!" one of them called as his hands flew out toward her. But that was the last thing on Savannah's mind. Fortunately, the staircase in front of her was wide enough for her to step around Bluebeard and fly down. And fly down she did. Taking two steps at a time and ignoring the shouts behind her, she didn't stop even as she made it to the landing below. She continued to flee down another, wider set of stairs leading to another floor. This one revealed was looked like a parlor or sitting room. But she had no time to admire the scenery. She considered jumping over the banister and down onto the next floor. But that was out of the question. Seeing an open door on the right, and hearing the thundering footsteps behind her, Savannah instantly rushed through the door and down another hallway.

"Wait!" the men called out to her again, "Stop!" But she only ran faster. She darted around a corner and flew past what she believed was a woman. Desperate to escape those pursuing her, Savannah spotted another door and hurried toward it. This one lead to what she thought to be a library, judging by the dozens, if not hundreds, of rows of books stretching up to the ceiling. She sped past the corner of the banister and headed to the next door near the wall.

Unfortunately, she more crashed through it rather than opened it. And she painfully reaped the results of her decision inside. Still, she hurried, or rather stumbled forward. But before she could make it to the next door, Savannah ran into the person coming through it, who immediately grabbed her by the elbows. She was about to fight back, when she looked up, and received one shock too many for the day. It was Wolf-man, or Wolverine. Whatever he was called, she knew it was him. And judging by his own wide eyes, he seemed to recognize her. Before she could ask any questions though, the shock she received at running into this man made it to her already pained side, making the sensation worsen until only black awaited her.

The next thing she knew, Savannah was hearing somewhat distant voices, ones that seemed to be concerned for her. "Hey," one of them said, "Wake up." Deciding she might as well comply, now that she'd been caught, she slowly opened her eyes, but not before she felt a hand gently tap her cheek. She let out a groan before she fully opened her eyes, and found that she was sitting on the floor with the two men who'd been chasing her holding her up by each arm. The one on her left looked to be at least in his late-thirties, but she couldn't tell because of the strange looking visor he wore across his face. The one on her right looked younger, and sported somewhat of a beard with icy-blue eyes. For a moment, she considered trying to swipe at them, to make them let go of her. But the next time the guy on her left spoke to her, she found herself having second thoughts.

"Hey," he said, "You alright?" She couldn't see his eyes, but from the perturbed tone of his voice, he seemed to genuinely want to know.

"I…I don't know," Savannah replied, frowning with uneasiness and shaking her head. Immediately, she felt dizzy, but she tried desperately hard not to show it.

"Why'd you run?" the guy on her right asked, clearly confused.

Using almost all of her remaining strength, Savannah shrugged her shoulders and replied, "I didn't know who you were."

"Would it make you feel better if you did?" the one on her left asked.

At first, Savannah wasn't sure. Then again, she hadn't been more hurt than she already was. And considering all she'd already gone to, this couldn't hurt too much. Reluctantly, she nodded her head. The guy on her left smiled slightly.

"Well, for now, you can call me Cyclops," he said. Now Savannah was really confused. Though it sort of made sense, she didn't know anyone who was comfortable enough to go by a name like that. She then turned to the guy on her right.

"Iceman," he said, "Good to meet ya." Savannah nodded in understand, though it seemed understanding was the last thing she could latch onto for now. In an attempt to even try to anyway though, she turned back to the guy on her left. Cyclops, was it?

Apparently having seen the confusion adorning her face, he replied, "It's okay, just calm down. You're safe here, no one's gonna hurt you, I promise you."

Before Savannah could nod, a new voice, one she knew she heard before, spoke up. "She wouldn't be so banged up if she didn't pull a crazy stunt like that."

Savannah turned to the source of the voice, and her eyes immediately widened when she saw the one she'd run into just now. What was _he_ doing here? Just then, as though he could read her mind, Cyclops decided to answer the questions that instantly formed in her head.

"Wolverine here found you pretty much on the brink of death," he explained, "Had he found you any later, you could very well have died."

"Yeah, it was pretty bad," Iceman agreed, "But we believed in you."

For a moment, Savannah managed the faintest smile. It had been a very long time since someone showed this much concern for her, and these were people she didn't even know. Which immediately brought her focus back to what was originally on her mind. Her smile sinking back into a frown, she sat up as straight as she could, showing the men around her that she meant business and she was going to get what she sought.

"Okay, I want answers," she said in the boldest voice she could summon, "Who are you people? And what is this place?"

Iceman immediately frowned in confusion at her. "You really don't know?" he asked somewhat incredulously, "You're kidding right?"

"Let me do the talking Bobby," Cyclops suddenly silenced him. Savannah raised her eyes at knowing his real name, almost believing before that he didn't have one.

"This is Professor Xavier's School for the Gifted," Cyclops went on, "Have you heard of it?"

Savannah was about to shake her head and say no, when she suddenly remembered what Ryan told her the other day, about going there to get some answers regarding her unusual abilities. So she instead nodded and replied, "Once."

Cyclops opened his mouth to speak again, but before he could say anything, that rough voice once again interrupted him. "Why don't you take her to Chuck? He'd probably be happy to tell her what's what. And I'm sure we'd all like to know why she was at that place." That last sentence caused Savannah to look fully at him. And when she saw what she believed to be a smirk forming on his face, she narrowed her eyes at his own and sent him a glare.

"Maybe I'd rather not disclose that information," she retorted, "Especially to the likes of you."

That got him, just as she wanted. While she allowed a ghost of a smirk to cross her own face, Wolf-man frowned at her and looked very much annoyed. But before he could say anything back, Iceman asked, "Wait, do you guys know each other?"

"We met before, once," Wolf-man replied, "Let's just say, it was a pretty rough introduction."

Savannah's eyebrows shot up. "It wouldn't have been rough if you hadn't scared me half to death!" she exclaimed.

"Alright that's enough!" Cyclops suddenly raised his hand, putting a stop to the conflict. Savannah immediately complied, as she just then found that she was too tired to argue. When she turned toward Cyclops, she found that he had turned back to her as well.

"Listen, do you think you can stand?" he then asked.

Savannah's eyebrows went up again as she discovered that she was still sitting on the floor, having obviously fallen there after running into Wolverine. She knew she'd face some great discomfort if she got back on her feet, but she didn't intend to be a burden to these people. "I, I'll try," she nodded.

Cyclops nodded back, and, against Savannah's expectations, let go of her left arm while Iceman let go of her right. So, they were going to allow her to try getting up on her own. Well, she would show them that she could. Slowly, and keeping her back as straight as possibly, Savannah rose until she felt steady enough on her feet, and smiled softly at having done it without experiencing too much pain or requiring help from either of the men beside her. Still, there was one question that begged to be answered. She turned to Cyclops and asked, "By the way, who's Chuck?"

"Professor Charles Xavier," he replied, "He's the founder and dean of the school, and believe it or not I think Wolverine actually brought up a pretty good idea. I think he would be interested in meeting you. That is, of course, if you're up to it?"

Savannah wanted to say that she was tired, and that she wanted to go back to her room. But the other part of her, the one that wanted answers, weighed heavier in her mind, almost as if it wanted to dominate her thoughts. Before long, she felt too tired even to fight herself. If this was the best way to get good answers and fast, well then, she might as well go ahead and get it over with. Reluctantly, Savannah crossed her arms and said, "Fine. Take me away."

"Alright, this way," Cyclops nodded toward the door she'd previously crashed through. Without another word, Savannah followed him and Iceman to it. But just as they reached it, she couldn't help but turn around and see if Wolverine was coming. To her disappointment, she saw that he'd left. Still, she felt a bit weird at the kind of disappointment she felt. She told herself that she'd wanted to stick her tongue out at him in an attempt to knock him off his high horse. And yet, she found that the other part of her almost wanted him to come, to be by her side if nothing else.

Fortunately, she'd managed to clear her head of those strange feelings once she was down the hall she'd traveled through earlier, with Cyclops and Iceman on either side of her in case she needed their help. She kept herself looking straight and tall as she walked, but she also found it kind of nice to have people she barely knew so concerned for her. Suddenly though, her attention was turned to another person she recognized. It was the woman she saw when she ran down the hall earlier. She rushed up to Cyclops' side, and wide-eyed confusion was clearly evident on her face as she asked, "Scott, what…"

Cyclops raised his hand, interrupting her. "She's fine Jean," he assured her, "Well, as fine as she can be for now. Just a little scare is all. We're taking her to see Professor Xavier. She just wants to know what's going on."

The woman, Jean, let out a frustrated sigh and momentarily put her head in her hand. "Alright," she said, "But the moment this is over I want her right back in her room. Now that she's awake I really should take her vitals again."

"Absolutely," Cyclops agreed, "This won't take long, I promise."

Jean raised her eyebrows as if to say "I'll hold you to it," before she turned to Savannah. Savannah, though, turned away. She wasn't particularly interested in talking with anyone other than this Professor Xavier, whom she hoped, strangely, that he would be at least half as nice as the men she'd already met here.

Before too long, they finally made it to what seemed to be his office. The only thing missing though was the professor himself. While Jean volunteered to go look for him, Cyclops and Iceman decided to wait with Savannah. She shrugged her shoulders in a "why not" gesture before taking the seat in front of the well polished mahogany desk. While she waited, she decided she might as well do what she did before, and at least admire the scenery. Behind her was a fireplace, which she briefly imagined sitting in front of, enjoying the heartwarming heat of the kindled flames. There were stained glass windows on her left and behind the desk with images of what she believed were waterlilies. And behind the desk on either side stood bookshelves similar to the ones she saw in the library. It was definitely the fanciest office she'd ever seen. But it didn't stop her from making herself at home.

By the time the door opened, Savannah, who fortunately had shorts on, had both her bare feet on the edge of the desk and her arms crossed. If this guy wanted to see her as she really was, well, the first time was the best time. And if he didn't like what he saw, then it was his loss. She turned toward the door, and her eyebrows raised in surprise at what she saw. Instead of the large, burly figure she had in mind, she saw a bit of a smaller, bald man enter the room in a wheelchair. Then again, it made sense, since he looked at least to be in his sixties or seventies. He definitely had a sense of authority about him, and yet, when she looked at his bluish-gray eyes, she saw no condemnation, only curiosity.

Still, she wasn't about to let her guard down. Keeping her arms crossed, she nodded at him and asked in a casual manner, "How ya doin'?"

Instead of frowning, she thought she saw a bit of a smile. "Very good," he replied in a British accent, "And how good of you to ask. But before we speak, could you please get your feet off my desk?"

Her own smile sank slightly, as he still acted against her expectations. Even so, she did as she was asked, but only because he said please, politely. She also kept her eyes on him while he went behind his desk.

"I heard the scuffle you caused just now," he said, "I might not have expected such a reaction, but I did expect this conversation to take place sooner or later." Then, looking fully at her, he introduced himself. "I am Professor Charles Xavier, as you likely already know. But I am very pleased to finally meet you formally, and that you've finally regained consciousness, Miss West."

If what he said before didn't unsettle Savannah and make her smile completely disappear, this hit her over the head like a hammer. For a moment, she sat with her mouth open, until she realized she probably looked like an idiot. Immediately correcting herself, she asked, "How do you know my name?"

"We were given access to your medical records," Xavier replied. A perfectly logical reason. But it made Savannah feel as uneasy as she did when she discovered she was wearing a hospital gown rather than her black hood and jeans. In both ways, someone had touched her where she didn't. And she didn't like it at all.

"Who else knows?" she asked. And did they know her secret? Fortunately she bit her tongue to prevent the words from slipping out.

"Only those who need to," Xavier replied, "You have nothing to fear, I promise you." Any semblance of a smile he had faded then, as if he too was uneasy. "But I also have some questions I must ask you. Though, I'm sure you too have some of your own to ask me. So, I'll make you a deal. I'll give you, in return, the answers you seek, if you give me mine. Does that seem reasonable?"

Geez. It was like this guy could read her mind or something. And yet he didn't seem to show it off. His proposition did seem fair, and he only spoke to her in a way that seemed to put some of her heightened senses to rest. Savannah found herself wanting to trust this man, even so, she remained wary of him. But she did come here to get the answers that so long eluded her. If it meant remaining in this man's unsettling presence until she got them all, well, so be it. She'd been in much more harrowing situations. She could surely survive this.

Suddenly though, her conflicting thoughts made her head feel heavy, and she put her hand to her forehead hoping to make the throbbing stop before it started. "What did happen last night?" she then asked unconsciously, as if she didn't have a clue.

"Pardon me," Xavier spoke up, "But I think you mean three days ago."

Savannah suddenly looked right back up at him, her eyes as wide with disbelief as they could be. "Three days?" she asked, incredulous, "I've been out for three days? Dude, that's like half a week!"

Xavier sat as still as ever. "I realize that you've already received a series of shocks," he said, "But if you could remain calm and answer my questions, I'm sure it will pass much more quickly."

Again, he was being reasonable. And if there was anything Savannah wanted at the moment, it was to finally have her own questions answered, and, in doing so, finally get some measure of peace in her restless mind. Taking a deep breath and sitting up straight, ready for whatever he would throw at her, she nodded and said, "Alright then. Shoot."

"Well, you might not like this but, how long have you had those stripes?" Xavier asked. Savannah raised her eyebrows again, but only slightly this time. This was probably the first time someone had not asked her if her stripes were tattoos. While feeling some sense of relief, that sensation of someone she didn't know knowing something they shouldn't struck her as uncomfortable.

Still, she shrugged her shoulders and replied, "I've always had them. Ever since before I can remember."

Xavier nodded in understanding, and then asked, "Do you recall ever receiving any, unfortunate treatment throughout your life?"

Savannah released a hard swallow, fearing she would have to tell him in full. But her fears were quickly put to rest when Xavier then said, "Simply answer 'yes' or 'no.'"

That, she could work with. Putting any hesitation aside, she did as she was told and nodded. "Yes."

Xavier nodded again and said, "I see." Then for a moment or two, only silence passed between them. Savannah watched him as what she believed to be hesitation cross his face, before he finally said, "My students discovered you the other night at a most unusual place. Would you care to tell me why you were there?"

Now Savannah herself hesitated. She didn't really want to tell him, because that would mean risking divulging her secret and her covert activities. Yet at the same time, she had the feeling she wouldn't be leaving this room until she answered the professor's question. Well, if she had to do that, then she would definitely have to choose her words carefully. And she did. Before too long, and hoping he would understand, she finally replied, "I work there. I just started that day. But when I heard my boss was conducting illegal experiments, I decided to go check it out, see what was going on."

"Interesting," Xavier murmured, "And would you also care to tell me what you remember after my students arrived on the scene?"

Again, Savannah hesitated. Not only did she think she couldn't retell it accurately, but she also wondered if the man might not even believe her. And then where would she be? Just then though, Xavier assuaged her fears again when he said, "It's alright. You can tell me. I won't judge you."

Savannah found herself somewhat disbelieving that. Then again, she was no stranger to judgment, even if it hurt half the time. All he wanted was the truth anyway. And if that was what he wanted, then he was going to get it. Taking a deep breath to calm her racing heart, and erase the images that flashed through her mind as she recalled that traumatic evening, Savannah began slowly.

"Well, I was in a hallway. And, all of a sudden this girl and then this big guy crashed through the wall. I ran off, one of the guards there shot at me, but I managed to escape to another room. There, another big guy fell through the roof and then left. I was so freaked out, I didn't know what to do. But, before I could do anything…" Biting her lip, Savannah forced herself to continue. "I felt…I felt like I was gonna die, I was in so much pain. The next thing I knew though, the pain was gone. But, I was…I was now a tiger."

She stopped as she looked down at her hands, but she felt Xavier urge her to go on. "I was a big black one, with white stripes. I don't know how it happened, but I still wanted to get out of there. So I ran. I made to the middle of the building, but one of the tigers that escaped started attacking me. So I fought back. I guess that's how I got these injuries."

She let out a small chuckle, despite seeing nothing to even remotely laugh about. "I finally managed to make him leave me alone, but by then, I was so exhausted, probably because of all the blood I lost. And before I knew it, I passed out." That was all Savannah cared to say. She didn't wish to bring up the fact that the guy she fought only a few days ago was the one who found her, as she was still trying to navigate through her disbelief over that. Fortunately, all that she said seemed to satisfy Xavier, who, shortly after, spoke to her again.

"Thank you, Miss West," he said, "But we are not quite yet done. Do you know what this institute is called?"

Savannah looked up at him again and replied, "Well, I heard that this was a school for the gifted, and that you run it."

"Exactly," Xavier nodded. He then frowned again and asked, "But do you know who the 'gifted' here are referred to as?"

Savannah gave him a confused look, as she didn't really know why the so-called "gifted" would want to be known as anything, but she decided to humor him and said, "Tell me."

Xavier let out a sigh, almost as if dismayed, before he finally replied, "We are referred to as mutants. Individuals with extraordinary abilities caused by what is known only as the mysterious X-gene. It is because of these abilities that we are largely regarded by society with suspicion, fear, and even hatred. I established this institute as a safe place where young mutants can learn to control their gifts and use them responsibly. And I did this largely because, I myself am a mutant."

Savannah nodded, but in her mind she was struggling to understand what he was talking about. Mutants? Not the first thing she would want to be called if she was one of them. And yet, all of what Xavier said struck her as familiar. Where had she heard talk like this before? And if it was this important, why had she allowed it to stay in the back of her mind for so long? If there was any certainty regarding all this though, it was that Savannah knew she needed one critical element if Xavier's claim was to be supported: proof.

"Okay," she said somewhat casually before asking, "Then, what's your so-called gift?"

Xavier only looked at her, no words escaping his mouth. And yet, spontaneously and inexplicably, as if from far away but very near at the same time, Savannah began to hear what she believed to be his voice.

_"Listen, but do not be alarmed," _it said, _"Do you hear any voices in your head other than your own?"_

That was when it dawned on Savannah, and her suspicions proved true. This guy was psychic! And he was once again making her uneasy by projecting his own thoughts into her head. But still, she didn't want to believe it. "Wait," she exclaimed, "What are you doing?"

_"This is my mutation," _the stray voice replied, _"I can hear your thoughts, and you can hear mine."_

In an attempt to silence the voice, Savannah shook her head, when it came to her that all she really needed to do was say so. "Well, quit it, it's freaking me out."

As if with only a slight nod directed her way, the voice ceased, and Savannah was back to her own, troubling thoughts, which now seemed to rage through her head with confusion, despite all that she'd just been told. "Okay," she said, "I think it's really cool that you're doing all this. But, what does it all have to do with me?"

Bracing herself for what he might say, Savannah listened with the utmost attention as Xavier replied, "Based on what my students have reported seeing, and on what you've just related to me, I think it can be largely agreed upon, Miss West, that with your ability to shape-shift your body into that of a tiger, you too are a mutant."

In spite of all of her mental preparation, Savannah was not ready for those last few words. Instantly, silence descended upon her, so much so that she probably could have heard a pin drop. Her heart began to race again, and new thoughts, ones of denial and rejection, entered her mind. In an attempt to defend herself against this madness, she chuckled and shook her head. "No. No way," she said, "You're not…you're not really serious?"

But Xavier continued to look at her with solemnity, causing all of her defenses to slowly, and painfully, dissolve. "No," she shook her head more frantically, "No!"

"The truth is not always pleasant, or easy to accept," Xavier then said, "But in this case, it must be told."

Savannah didn't want it told though. She would not, could not, believe what he said. And yet the professor had so far been nothing but kind to her. Would he really say such a thing as this? Almost as a result of what she'd just experienced clashing with her previous expectations, she didn't think she could be sure. All that she knew was that she'd fallen into a pool of uncertainty and insanity, where nothing seemed to make sense anymore.

Despite struggling to even speak at all, she still managed to say, "So, so that's your diagnosis? I'm just some crazy, weirdo, super-powered freak?" Instantly, part of her wanted to take those words back. But just then, when she opened her mouth to apologize, the part of her mind that seemed to push all nonsensical information to the back suddenly took control of her. Slowly, but surely, she began to feel a life-changing revelation dawn on her.

"No, wait," she said, holding her hand up to stop Xavier before he could speak. Slowly but surely, the images of what she'd experienced in the last ten years began to merge with what she saw and experienced just a few days ago. All the harsh treatment from her stepdad, the fearful looks she often received from most people, her struggle to be accepted, her appearance, and being transformed into a tiger. "It…it all makes sense," she said, giving voice to her thoughts, "But…"

As she trailed off, Xavier spoke up again. "I realize this is a rather fantastic solution, Miss West. But since you are currently in my custody, it is my responsibility to see that you are safe and well looked after. I promise you, I would not have told you this were it not true. And I am truly sorry you had to discover it in this way."

So was she, but she didn't say so. And just when she opened her mouth to do so, her head immediately felt heavy again, and she found herself wanting the refuge of a bed. Any at all. Her defenses now completely torn down, Savannah looked back up at the professor and said, "I'm tired. Can I please go back to my room?"

Xavier nodded in understanding. "Of course. I imagine you are by now exhausted. I will see to it that Cyclops and Iceman escort you back." And with that he rolled away toward the door, leaving Savannah staring at the floor, her vision now lost to the images that threatened to be her undoing. In that state she remained, until she realized she was back in her room and in her bed again. As if all she had ever experienced was just a horrible nightmare and she was just now awakening.

But she knew better, even if she did feel like she'd just had a lobotomy against her will. Still, denying that this solution was not possible was not an option. But, how could she have never known? How could she have been so blind? So stupid? Pulling her knees against her chest and resting her chin on them, Savannah closed her eyes. She had never felt so vulnerable in her life, never felt so violated. And yet, despite it all, she couldn't find anyone here at fault. Considering what she'd been through in the last ten years, these people had been nothing but kind to her. Whether they would continue to be that way was still up for debate. But Savannah's only wish was that she could stop thinking altogether. For now, it seemed to bring her nothing but hurt. And she even found herself wishing she really did have a lobotomy. Still, if this was the truth, she could not run from it, not forever. Yet she could rest. If that was her only means of escape, then Savannah would take it.

* * *

_Reviews would be appreciated._


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